Time Takes Odd Turns
Released August 30, 2024
REVIEWS
September 5, 2024
JW Vibe by Jonathan Widran
“This phenomenally well played, wild stylistic twist and turn-filled extravaganza is truly the ultimate class project -- a spirit-stirring, wild whirlwind of jazz, pop and big band fun on par with any of the more famous veteran large ensembles working today… brilliant arranging and playing. Time Takes Odd Turns has tons more majestically-arranged fire to offer – and the ride is a total innovative blast!”
https://www.jwvibe.com/single-post/tom-johnson-jazz-orchestra-time-takes-odd-turns
September 5, 2024
La Habitacion del Jazz (Spain, The Jazz Room) by Jose Ramon
“A recommended album for lovers of big bands and well-constructed orchestral jazz.”
https://lahabitaciondeljazz.blogspot.com/2024/08/tom-johnson-jazz-orchestra-cd-time.html
August 26, 2024
Jersey Jazz by Joe Lang
“An interesting and challenging program of modern big band charts that cover much ground. It has to be satisfying to Johnson to have accomplished the dream of a lifetime in such a vibrant and successful manner.”
August 22, 2024
Paris Move by Thierry de Clemensat
“A unique vitality… multi-layered writing organizes the brass and rhythm sections into truly phenomenal arrangements. Not to mention the deeply poetic passages, worthy of a supercharged Éric Satie. Often, the rhythms are borrowed from progressive jazz or soul/funk music, with an overlay of classical music codes and purely jazz arrangements. This is the Tom Johnson style.”
https://www.paris-move.com/reviews/tom-johnson-jazz-orchestra-time-takes-odd-turns/
August 9, 2024
Exclusive Magazine by Ann Carlini
“Expansively delightful... veritably cinematic in scope.”
Naught Won
Uses an 0157 pitch set. Chord wise that equals maj 7 sus 4. In plain English, that refers to a chord or group of pitches that is not used very often. The piece also uses “planing”, a technique used a century ago by Debussy and others. Traditional “functional” harmony includes chords that sound like they want to move, and others that sound like you have reached a point of rest. This piece does NOT do that (at least in the traditional way).
Simple Song
This piece was an attempt to write a simple diatonic melody and then orchestrate/harmonize it in gradually more complex ways. The other influence on this song was buying a hammered dulcimer down in French Lick Indiana.
80’s Suite -
Book One
This was written as an homage to late 70s and early 80s tracks by the British progressive rock group “Genesis”.
80’s Suite -
One More Time
This is an 80s Power Ballad I wrote with Cindy Formella when we were in the band “Skin Deep”.
80’s Suite -
Lucky 13
I wrote this in spring 1981 in my second semester jazz arranging class with Dominic Spera at IU. Dominic encouraged me to continue writing for big band, but he was not that fond of pieces in odd time signature like 13/4. He gave me a B+ on this chart, the only assignment from him I did not get A on. So to be stubborn, I only made two very small changes from the 1981 edition (but I thank Dominic anyway for his teaching and encouragement).
En La Casa de Los Perritos
This grew out of an assignment in a Jazz Composition class I took from Berklee on line. (Note - these puppies are not snarky.)
Well You Better
So this track MAY be a bit snarky. It is a swing tune with an angular melody originally written for a local High School Jazz Band. It proved too demanding for them, so for this project I made it even more challenging, at least for the saxophone players.
Ballad for the A1 Band
A-1 is how some small town DJ read Al Cobine’s first name. The members of the Al Cobine and VonOhlen/Carter/Allee band were my first musical heroes. Some of the personnel, like my dad and my first trumpet teacher Jim Edison, played in both bands.
Cats and Mouses
We did this on our COVID CD, but I wanted to get a better recording of it, so we did a studio version. It’s kind of like a Tom and Jerry cartoon soundtrack with jazz solos.
Bossa Monday Suite
This was first written in the key of E minor and we played a lead sheet version at the Verve Monday night jazz jam in Terre Haute. For a Big Band chart, I changed the key to B flat minor and wrote and introductory section that kind of resembles 70s Philip Glass and a closing section that was inspired by Chick Corea’s Latin tunes.
Simply Stuff and Nonsense
This material was removed from an earlier version of Simple Song, and then squooshed together to get this fun bit of musical mayhem. (It includes a samba canon.)
