Marc Johnson (musician)


Marc Alan Johnson is an American jazz bass player, composer and band leader. Johnson was born in Nebraska and grew up in Texas. He is married to the Brazilian jazz pianist and singer Eliane Elias.

Career

At the age of 19, Johnson was working professionally with the Fort Worth Symphony, and while at the University of North Texas, he played in the One O'Clock Lab Band and was also the principal bassist in the NTSU Symphony.
In 1978, Johnson joined pianist Bill Evans in what would be Evans's last trio. Johnson toured and recorded with Evans until the death of the pianist in 1980. In 2007 he released the tribute album Something For You—a tribute to Evans—together with his wife, pianist Eliane Elias.
His credits since then include albums with Joe Lovano, Michael Brecker, Stan Getz, Bob Brookmeyer, Gary Burton, John Abercrombie, Bill Frisell, Pat Metheny, Eliane Elias, Enrico Pieranunzi, Joey Baron, Philly Joe Jones, Jack DeJohnette, Peter Erskine, Paul Motian and many others. He has also appeared as a leader of his own bands, starting with Bass Desires, a quartet that featured Bill Frisell and John Scofield on electric guitar, with Peter Erskine on drums, which gained international recognition following two ECM recordings in the mid-1980s. He also recorded two albums of his group Right Brain Patrol for JMT Records, followed by his Sound of Summer Running release on Verve. His ECM release Shades of Jade was featured in Time's October 17, 2005, issue "5 CDs That Really Swing", as one of the five top jazz releases of the season. It was selected by the Chicago Tribune as one of the 10 best jazz recordings of 2005 and also received the Danish Music Award for Best Foreign Release in 2005. It features his wife Eliane Elias on piano, Joe Lovano on tenor saxophone, John Scofield on guitar and Joey Baron on drums.
As a follow up to Shades of Jade, in 2012, the ECM recording Swept Away was released. This album is a collaboration with pianist/composer Eliane Elias. It includes Joe Lovano on tenor saxophone and Joey Baron on drums. The music consists of all original compositions. As a producer, Johnson won two Grammy Awards for co-producing Eliane Elias' albums Made in Brazil and Dance of Time on Concord Records.

Discography

As leader

With John Abercrombie & Peter Erskine
With Enrico Pieranunzi
With John Abercrombie
With Eliane Elias
With Peter Erskine
With Bill Evans
With Stan Getz
With Jimmy Gourley
With Woody Herman
  • Jazz Jamboree 77 Vol. 2
  • Chick, Donald, Walter & Woodrow
  • Road Father
With Andy LaVerne
  • Plays the Music of Chick Corea
  • Frozen Music
  • True Colors
With John Lewis
  • The John Lewis Album for Nancy Harrow
  • Kansas City Breaks
  • Slavic Smile
  • J.S. Bach Preludes and Fugues from the Well Tempered Clavier Book 1
  • The Bridge Game Vol. 2 Based On the Well Tempered Clavier Book 1
  • The Garden of Delight Delaunay's Dilemma
  • Vol. 3 Preludes and Fugues Based On the Well Tempered Clavier Book 1
With Pat Martino
  • Interchange
  • Nightwings
  • The Maker
  • Givin' Away the Store
With Lyle Mays
With Wolfgang Muthspiel
  • Air, Love & Vitamins
  • Real Book Stories
  • Perspective
With Enrico Pieranunzi
  • No Man's Land
  • In That Dawn of Music
  • The Night Gone by
  • The Chant of Time
  • Jazz Roads
  • Les Amants
  • Deep Down
  • Live at the Village Vanguard
With John Scofield
  • Meant to Be
  • The John Scofield Quartet Plays Live
  • Steady Groovin'
With Toots Thielemans
  • Ne Me Quitte Pas
  • Only Trust Your Heart
  • Do Not Leave Me
  • The Brasil Project
  • The Brasil Project Vol. 2
With others