James Price Johnson (February 1, 1894 - November 17, 1955) was a pianist and composer. With Luckey Roberts, Johnson was one of the originators of the stride style of piano playing. February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... November 17 is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece. ... 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A pianist is a person who plays the piano. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... Charles Luckeyeth Roberts, better known as Luckey Roberts (7 August 1887 - 5 February 1968) was a composer and pianist who worked in the jazz, ragtime, and blues styles. ... Stride is a type of piano-playing, used primarily in jazz. ... This article is about the modern musical instrument. ...

Johnson was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. His family moved to New York City in 1908. His first professional engagement was at Coney Island in 1912. New Brunswick is a city located in Middlesex County, New Jersey. ... City nickname: The Big Apple Location in the state of New York Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area  - Land  - Water 1,214. ... 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Image of Coney Island (middle left of picture) taken by NASA. The peninsula at right is Rockaway, Queens. ... 1912 is a leap year starting on Monday. ...

Johnson's tune "Charleston" (which debuted in the Broadway show Runnin' Wild in 1923, although by some accounts Johnson had written it years earlier) became one of the most popular tunes and arguably the definitive dance number of the Roaring 1920s. His other hits included "You've Got to Be Modernistic", "Keep Off the Grass", "Old Fashioned Love", "A Porter's Love Song to a Chambermaid", "Carolina Shout", "If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)", and "Snowy Morning Blues". He wrote music in many styles, including waltzes, ballet, symphonic pieces and light opera; sadly, many of these ambitious, long-form pieces are presumed lost. This article is about the street in New York City. ... 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Sometimes referred to as the Roaring Twenties or the Jazz Age. ... The waltz is a dance in 3/4 time, done primarily in closed position, the commonest basic figure of which is a full turn in two measures using three steps per measure. ... A performance of The Nutcracker ballet Ballet is the name given to a specific dance form and technique. ... A symphony is an extended piece of music for orchestra, especially one in the form of a sonata. ... The foyer of Charles Garniers Opéra, Paris, opened 1875 Opera is an art form consisting of a dramatic stage performance set to music. ...

About James P. Johnson's style of playing James Weldon Johnson, a pioneer of the African-American musical theater, had this to say: "It was music of a kind I had never heard before...The barbaric harmonies, the audacious resolutions, often consisting of an abrupt jump from one key to another, the intricate rhythms in which the accents fell in the most unexpected places, but in which the beat was never lost, produced a most curious effect, and to, the player - the dexterity of his left hand in making rapid octave runs and jumps was little short of marvelous; and with his right he frequently swept half the keyboard with clean cut chromatics which he fitted in so nicely as never to fail to arouse in his listeners a sort of pleasant surprise at the accomplishment of the feat."

James P. Johnson served as mentor to Fats Waller. He was also an influence on such other pianists as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Art Tatum, and even Thelonious Monk. He was a sensitive accompanist; Johnson often recorded with Bessie Smith, and was reportedly her favorite pianist. Fats Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an African-American jazz pianist, organist, composer and comedic entertainer. ... William Count Basie (August 21, 1904 - April 26, 1983) was a jazz pianist, organist, and bandleader. ... Edward Kennedy Duke Ellington (Born: April 29, 1899 in Washington, DC – Died: May 24, 1974 in New York City) was an American jazz composer, pianist and bandleader. ... George Gershwin photograph by Edward Steichen in 1927. ... Art Tatum (October 13, 1909 - November 4, 1956) was a famous jazz pianist known for his virtuosic playing and creative improvisation. ... Thelonious Sphere Monk (October 10, 1917–February 17, 1982) was a jazz pianist and composer known for his unique improvisational style and many contributions to the standard jazz repertoire. ... Bessie Smith photographed by Carl Van Vechten Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an early American blues singer born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. ...

Beginning in the 1930's, Johnson was intermitently retired due to several strokes. When he returned to active perfoming in the early 1940's, he demonstrated his adaptability by leading a small swing group and performing regularly with Eddie Condon. A stroke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) occurs when the blood supply to a part of the brain is suddenly interrupted by occlusion (an ischemic stroke- approximately 90%of strokes) or by hemorrhage (a hemorrhagic stroke - approximately 10% of strokes). ... Musically, swing can be either: (written with small s), refers to swung notes, the rhythmic feeling evoked by swinging music, esp. ... Albert Edwin Condon, better known as Eddie Condon, (16 November 1904–4 August 1973) was a jazz banjoist, guitarist, and bandleader. ...

Johnson permanently retired from performing after a severe stroke in 1951. He died in Jamaica, New York. 1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... Jamaica, now a neighborhood in Queens, New York City, was settled as a town by the English under Dutch rule in 1656 in New Netherland. ...

External link

• James P. Johnson on RedHotJazz.com (http://redhotjazz.com/JPJohnson.html) Biography with ram files of many of James P. Johnson's historic recordings

References

Runnin' Wild (1921-1926), James P. Johnson, Audio CD, Issued by Tradition, liner notes by Allen Lowe