Take Five with Max Johnson

Meet Max Johnson:
Max Johnson is a New York-born bassist, composer, and bandleader. A student of jazz legend Henry Grimes, Max plays with intense passion and power leading a large group of New York's finest improvisers through a huge cannon of compositions and improvisations. His playing has been compared by some to the work of William Parker, Jimmy Garrison, Geezer Butler, John Wetton and "A young, very Caucasian Charles Mingus." Max can be found in different areas of New York playing anything from jazz to bluegrass, from metal to Jewish and afro Cuban music with a slew of likeminded musicians

Instrument(s):
Bass.

Teachers and/or influences?
When it comes to bass players, influences include: Henry Grimes, Reggie Workman, Jimmy Garrison, Richard Davis, Malachi Favors, John Wetton, Geezer Butler, Jymmie Merritt, Drew Gress, Jack Bruce, Steve Swallow, Cecil McBee, Charles Mingus, Trevor Dunn, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Miroslav Vitous, Greg Lake, Dennis Dunaway, Steve Harris, and Greg Cohen.

I knew I wanted to be a musician when...
It was more of a gradual motion, where music changed from a hobby to something that I enjoyed more than anything else. Somewhere in the fifteen-sixteen age.

Your sound and approach to music:
Is to inject as much of myself into the music while respectfully playing the style I'm performing in. Also, using your ability to coax as many different sounds as possible out of your instrument

Your teaching approach:
To use each person's likes and dislikes to show them the basics and really lay the groundwork to do whatever you want to do.

Your dream band:
My dream band existed; it was called King Crimson, between 1972-1974.

Road story: Your best or worst experience:
When at Amiri Baracka's 75th birthday, after being flung nervously onto the stage by the guy who was running the acts, Danny Glover came up and introduced himself to me and said "I love your work." That was odd.

Favorite venue:
The Yippie Museum, for giving me musical freedom and no time constraints, and for putting up with whatever music I wanted to bring, week after week for many months.

The first Jazz album I bought was:
I don't know, but the first one I heard was Charles Mingus, Ah Um. Damn.

What do you think is the most important thing you are contributing musically?
An ability to communicate in different languages in music, and my respect and listening skills to many different musicians/styles.

CDs you are listening to now:
Sidney Bechet, The Complete Sidney Bechet;
Roscoe Mitchell, Congliptious;
The Claudia Quintet, The Claudia Quintet;
Ornette Coleman, Sound Grammar;
David Murray, South of the Border;
Andrew D'Angelo, Skadra Degis.

Desert Island picks:
John Coltrane, Meditiations;
Henry Grimes, The Call;
Pharoah Sanders, Karma;
The Louvin Brothers, Tragic Songs of Life;
King Crimson, Larks Tongues in Aspic.

How would you describe the state of jazz today?
There's always great music being made, but now you just have to look a little harder.

What are some of the essential requirements to keep jazz alive and growing?
A crosspollination between different fans of different musics.

What is in the near future?
Just more gigs around New York and Jersey as of now.

If I weren't a jazz musician, I would be a:
Another type of musician.

Photo Credit
Courtesy of Max Johnson
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=36695