JAZZ TREK:
The Next Generation


"I don't know what attracted me to jazz. I didn't always like it. Now, I can't get enough of it."

And as he begins his junior year at Rockhurst High School, bassist Joe Johnson finds himself completely immersed in a style of music he not only "didn't always like," but discovered quite by accident.

"One day my friend Miles Turney said something to me about a bass player named Jaco Pastorius. I said, 'OK, who's he?' Up until then I'd been mostly into Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Stevie Ray Vaughn. I learned everything I could about Jaco, took to bands like Weather Report and Word of Mouth, and soon discovered that Jaco had studied players like Charlie Parker and John Coltrane. It seemed like the natural way for me to go."

Joe Johnson

Once Joe Johnson discovered his muse, it was then simply a matter of making a total commitment in terms of study, practice and performance. For someone so young, he has applied himself most impressively to each.

"I recently attended a jazz camp at North Texas State where I got to work with Lynn Seaton and Frank Mantooth. It was unbelievable. I also gained a lot of experience last summer at the Jim Widner jazz camp. And I've been studying with Jimmy Dykes -- the best guitarist I know -- and Gerald Spaits, who is an amazing bassist. I've never heard anyone on upright bass whose phrasing is as good as his."

Joe's list of influences is also impressive. And it includes more KC-based jazz talent.

"The musicians I admire most, in addition to my teachers, are John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, "Slam" Stewart, Bill Evans, Scott LaFaro, Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Paul Chambers, Percy Heath, Dan Haerle, Kim Park and Eldar Djangirov. Eldar is great. With people like him pushing the envelope, jazz has a great future."

A future in which students of jazz like Joe Johnson will certainly play an important role.

Now that school is back in session, Joe performs with the Rockhurst jazz ensemble and orchestra, practices "as much as my time allows," and occasionally heads out for a local jam.

After graduation in two years Joe hopes to attend college ("North Texas, Berklee, UCLA, or the University of Miami") and then "maybe get hired by someone -- although a solo gig would be nice -- and maybe do some teaching."

All in all, a forward-looking vision from a member of yet another new generation discovering the joys of America's music.

"The future of jazz is in the hands of kids my age," Joe says. "And from what I saw at North Texas State, I'm sure jazz is in good shape."

-- Mike Metheny


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