Distinctive guitar jazz wonders Norman Johnson – THE ART OF LIFE: Norman’s splendid and soulful jazz guitar work first came to my attention many moons ago, when I reviewed him in issue # 105, so it’s been a bit… he got good marks there, to be sure.
His new January, 2019 release features his guitar, of course, and he also does bass, piano and vocal on this one… you’ll also hear Chris Herbert and John Mastroianni on Sax; Bill Holloman doing horns; Jeff Holmes’ trumpet; Steve Davis doing trombone; Matt Dwonszyk on bass; Grayson Hugh, June Bisantz, Atla DeChamplain, Poller Messer, Lisa Marien performing vocals; Mitch Chakour on piano and organ and Alex Nakhimovsky’s piano… since the album isn’t up until later in January, the samples aren’t up yet (I’ll come back and add them in once I’m told the album has gone HOT), but I can tell you (without qualification) that tunes like the 3:59 opener, “Slide”, will have YOU up & slidin’ ’round the room…
I only found one live video of Norman on YouTube, which gives you a nice interview with him…
…some very nice insights into Norman’s ultra-cool style… I would recommend that he load up his YouTube channel with lots of live performances for his next album.
If you enjoy “old soul style” singing, you’ll totally fall in love with “Sing On”; this tune will definitely be added to my “GTO queue”; very listenable, & dance-able even!
There was no doubt in my mind after my first listen through the six songs Norman offers up for this sonic adventure… “It’s You” is definitely my favorite on the album… superb vocals that just shimmer with the essence of life.
I give Norman and all his players a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, with an “EQ” (energy quotient) rating of 4.99 for this excellent album. Get more information on Norman’s website. Rotcod Zzaj
#Distinctive #guitar #jazz #wonders #Norman #Johnson
