Johnny Hodges in concert, Feb. 6, 1965

John Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges (b. July 25, 1907 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, d. May 11, 1970 in New York City) was an alto saxophonist and lead player of Duke Ellington's saxophone section. He spent more than 40 years with Ellington. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (553x788, 312 KB) Since a concert (Duke-Ellington-Orchestra) , Frankfurt/Main, Germany, at Jahrhunderthalle Hoechst, 06. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (553x788, 312 KB) Since a concert (Duke-Ellington-Orchestra) , Frankfurt/Main, Germany, at Jahrhunderthalle Hoechst, 06. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... City Hall - Cambridge MA Cambridge is a city in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts, United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Boston Largest city Boston Area  Ranked 44th  - Total 10,555 sq mi (27,360 km²)  - Width 183 miles (295 km)  - Length 113 miles (182 km)  - % water 13. ... May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... Nickname: Big Apple; City that never Sleeps; Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Manhattan Queens Brooklyn Staten Island Settled 1613 Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Edward Kennedy Duke Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974), also known simply as Duke (see Jazz royalty), was an American jazz composer, pianist, and bandleader. ...

Hodges was mostly self-taught, although he did take lessons on soprano sax with Sidney Bechet. He earned the nicknames Rabbit (for his enjoyment of lettuce sandwiches) and Jeep (for his apparent speed as a runner).^{[citation needed]} Saxophones of different sizes play in different registers. ... Sidney Bechet Sidney Bechet (May 14, 1897 – May 14, 1959) was a Jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. ... // A nickname is a short, clever, cute, derogatory, or otherwise substitute name for a person or things real name (for example, Bob, Rob, Robby, Robbie, Robi, Bobby, Rab, Bert, Bertie, Butch, Bobbers, Bobert, Beto, Bobadito, and Robban (in Sweden), are all short for Robert). ...

Johnny Hodges was one of the prominent Ellington Band members who featured in Benny Goodman's legendary 1938 Carnegie Hall concert. Benny Goodman, born Benő Guttman, (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American jazz musician, known as King of Swing, Patriarch of the Clarinet, The Professor, and Swings Senior Statesman. // Goodman was born in Chicago, the son of poor Jewish immigrants from Hungary who lived in the Maxwell... Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City located at 881 7th Avenue, occupying the east stretch of 7th Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street. ...

Ellington's practice of writing tunes specifically for members of his orchestra is reflected in the Hodges specialties, "Confab with Rab", "Jeep's Blues", and "Hodge Podge". Other songs recorded by the Ellington Orchestra which prominently feature Hodges' smooth alto-saxophone are "Magenta Haze", "Prelude to a kiss", "Haupe" from Anatomy of a Murder, "The star crossed lovers" from Ellingtons Such Sweet Thunder suite, "I got it bad (and that ain't good)," "Blood Count," and "Passion Flower". Anatomy of a Murder is a 1959 film which tells the story of a man charged with murdering a man who may have raped his wife; the bulk of the films plot revolves around the drama as it unfolds in court. ...

He had a pure tone and economy of melody on both blues songs and ballads that won him admiration from musicians of all eras and styles, from Ben Webster to John Coltrane, both of whom played with him when he had his own orchestra in the 1950s, to Lawrence Welk, who featured him in an album of standards. His highly individualistic playing style, which featured the use of a wide vibrato and much sliding between slurred notes, was frequently imitated. Pitch is the perceived fundamental frequency of a sound. ... Look up melody in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Blues music redirects here. ... A ballad is a story, usually a narrative or poem, in a song. ... Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909–September 20, 1973) was an influential American jazz tenor saxophonist. ... John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967), nicknamed Trane, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. ... The 1950s was the decade spanning from the 1st of January, 1950 to the 31st December, 1959. ... Lawrence Welk during a taping of The Lawrence Welk Show Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was a musician, accordion player, bandleader, and television impressario. ... Vibrato is a musical effect where the pitch or frequency of a note or sound is quickly and repeatedly raised and lowered over a small distance for the duration of that note or sound. ...

Hodges played on the front line of the Ellington saxophone grouping. A small highly precise man, his last performances were at the Imperial Room in Toronto, less than a week before his death from a sudden heart attack. The 500 seat Imperial Room is a major events venue at the Royal York Hotel. ...

Duke Ellington's eulogy of Hodges included: "Never the world's most highly animated showman or greatest stage personality, but a tone so beautiful it sometimes brought tears to the eyes - this was Johnny Hodges. This is Johnny Hodges."

Trivia

• It is noted that Hodges never paid for his shoeshine by Malcolm X, in Malcolm X's autobiography.