About this item
In his eulogy of saxophonist Johnny Hodges (1907-70) , Duke Ellington ended with the words, "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." Hodges' unforgettable tone resonated throughout the jazz world over the greater part of the twentieth century. Benny Goodman described Hodges as "by far the greatest man on alto sax that I ever heard," and Charlie Parker compared him to Lily Pons, the operatic soprano. As a teenager, Hodges developed his playing style by imitating Sidney Bechet, the New Orleans soprano sax player, then honed it in late-night cutting sessions in New York and a succession of bands lead by Chick Webb, Willie "The Lion" Smith, and Luckey Roberts.
About the Author
Con Chapman is a Boston-area writer, author most recently of "Rabbit's Blues: The Life and Music of Johnny Hodges" (Oxford University Press) . His work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Christian Science Monitor, The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald and a number of literary magazines.
