Johnny Griffin
tenor saxophone
Chicago tenor saxophonist who later settled in Europe; Barry played with him, and recalls the odd-length tunes Griffin had when they played together.
- mentions
- 4
- recordings
- 4
- Barry speaking
- 2
What Barry says
In a Lincoln Center class, warning students against writing music at the piano keyboard or on the computer, Barry recalls that when he played with Johnny Griffin, Griffin had a nine-measure song and an eleven-measure song. Barry did not want to hear that, and says you could tell it had been made up on the computer.
Jazz theory, part 2: drop voicings4:254:58Jazz theory, part 2, with score4:214:53
In his own words
Nowadays these cats, they got this computer madness. They write their songs looking at the computer. Johnny Griffin... when I played with him, he had a nine [measure] song, 11th [measure] song. I don’t want to hear that, you know. You could tell he made it up on the computer.
Every mention
4 moments in the recordings, 2 of them Barry speaking. Each says who is talking.
Jazz theory, part 2: drop voicings
- 4:25
When Barry played with Griffin, Griffin had nine- and eleven-measure songs that sounded made up on the computer.
Jazz theory, part 2, with score
- 4:21
The same remark in another upload of the same Lincoln Center class.
Artists House Master Class Barry Harris - Introduction by Gary Giddins
- 10:48
Someone else
Gary Giddins, introducing Barry, recalls Griffin’s quip: America is glad to see a jazz musician yearly, Europe daily.
In the interviews and notes
JazzTimes lists Griffin among the masters Barry supported as a sideman, alongside Dexter Gordon, Coleman Hawkins, Cannonball Adderley, Hank Mobley and Sonny Stitt.
unknown (JazzTimes; the byline is missing on the current site), Barry Harris: Teacher Man ¶4
Leroy Williams, a drummer who worked with Barry, says that growing up in Chicago he listened to Griffin and the other players just a little older than him.
Ted Panken (interviewer); Tommy Flanagan, Tommy Flanagan ¶103
Method ideas nearby
Ideas of the method taught in the classes where they come up, with how many mentions fall in each.