William N. Law Blog: Leslie Johnakins: Latin Bari

Sunday, September 11, 2016

Leslie Johnakins: Latin Bari

One of the finest big-band baritone saxophonists of the 1940s and '50s was someone you may not be familiar with: Leslie Johnakins. As trumpeter Doc Cheatham said in 1976 in a quote that kicks off the chapter on Johnakins in David Griffiths' book, Hot Jazz: From Harlem to Storyville: "Leslie Johnakins has always been the greatest baritone around, but he was never the person to get around and prove it. One only has to work with him to learn how great he is. I put him up as the best." [Photo above of Leslie Johnakins in 1947]

Johnakins never recorded as a leader. Nor did he record much with major jazz and swing bands. Where he found his niche was in Machito's orchestra, starting in the late 1940s. Johnakins wasn't alone. As jazz opportunities slowed in the late 1940s, quite a few East Coast jazz musicians took chairs in Latin bands, since these orchestras tended to book steady runs at dance clubs in the Bronx and Brooklyn as well as Manhattan. These bands also toured and you were assured of summer work at resorts in the Catskill Mountains two hours north of New York. As the mambo heated up and was joined by the cha-cha-cha in the mid-1950s, jazz musicians remained with Latin bands for long stretches, especially those who could read and write the tricky arrangements with complex syncopated rhythms. [Photo above of Machito]

Johnakins anchored the reed section of Machito's orchestra starting in 1948, recorded on Machito's Charlie Parker sessions of 1950, played on Chico O'Farrill's majestic Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite for Machito that same year and recorded on Machito's Columbia sessions in 1952. From 1954 to 1957, Johnakins picked up R&B recording work, rejoining Machito in '57 for Kenya (Roulette), one of Machito's finest albums. He also appeared on Machito's Fireworks album in 1977 and Live at North Sea '82.

Johnakins' strength was providing Latin and R&B bands with a powerful, low and sustain growl on baritone sax. It was so strong that Johnakins could often be heard above Machito's orchestra.

Leslie Johnakins died in 2005.

JazzWax note: If you want to read about Leslie Johnakins' pre-Latin jazz background, go here.

JazzWax clips: Here are a bunch of audio tracks featuring Leslie Johnakins:

Here's Johnakins with Machito and Charlie Parker in 1949 playing No Noise...

Here's Machito's Gone City in 1949 for Mercury. It also appeared years later on Mucho Macho, on Norman Granz's Pablo label. You'll also hear a nifty solo by Johnakins...

Gone City

Here's Johnakins backing Big Maybelle's One Monkey Don't Stop No Show in 1954...