Album Notes

Danny Johnson is a professional drummer-bandleader who has performed and/or recorded with a diverse array of artists, ranging from jazz greats Jon Faddis, Mongo Santa Maria, and Ron Carter to well-known R+B acts like Soul De Force and The Marvelettes. He is currently leading a band called The Soul Jazz Coalition, featuring many top-notch jazz musicians from the New York City area including Lou Rainone, Alex Gressel, Danny Mixon, Ed Cherry, Randy Johnston, and Hill Greene, to name a few.

In his earlier years, Danny’s high level of musical versatility and curiosity earned him gigs at all the major New York City rock clubs, with artists like Joe Jackson and others. In addition, his classical percussion experience includes performances with members of the NY Philharmonic Orchestra. Danny’s current trio CD 'Tippin 'N Funkin', reflects the diverse musical influences he has integrated into his concept of jazz over the years.

For this recording date, Danny keeps the music happily tippin’ along from the drums -- behind the buoyant bass lines of Alex Gressel, and the colorful improvisations of pianist Lou Rainone – occasionally stepping out front with his own brand of fiery but melodic drum solo. The classic Jazz and R+B tunes presented here, along with a street-beat (New Orleans based) piece written by Danny, are delivered in surprisingly smooth contrast to each other. The subtle use of juxtaposition in the arranging of these songs showcases the trio’s deftness at flowing creatively from one distinct genre to the next, all the while maintaining and displaying their artistry as jazz players.

This CD will take you from bop, to funk, to the blues and back again, without ever leaving home – and home for these guys is definitely a groovin’ trio sound.