Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American

alto saxophonist The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B teno ...

, best known for solo work with

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was bas ...

's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years. Hodges was also featured on

soprano saxophone The soprano saxophone is a higher-register variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument invented in the 1840s. The soprano is the third-smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists (from smallest to largest) of the soprillo, so ...

, but refused to play soprano after 1946. Along with Benny Carter, Hodges is considered to be one of the definitive alto saxophone players of the

big band era A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

. After beginning his career as a teenager in Boston, Hodges began to travel to New York and played with

Lloyd Scott Lloyd Scott, MBE (born 13 October 1961) is an English former professional football goalkeeper and now charity fundraiser, best known in the UK for his charity marathons. He is notable for competing in the 2002 London Marathon in a deep-sea di ...

Sidney Bechet Sidney Bechet (May 14, 1897 – May 14, 1959) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. He was one of the first important soloists in jazz, and first recorded several months before trumpeter Louis Armstrong. His erratic tempe ...

, Luckey Roberts and

Chick Webb William Henry "Chick" Webb (February 10, 1905 – June 16, 1939) was an American jazz and swing music drummer and band leader. Early life Webb was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to William H. and Marie Webb. The year of his birth is disputed. ...

. When Ellington wanted to expand his band in 1928, Ellington's clarinet player

Barney Bigard Albany Leon "Barney" Bigard (March 3, 1906 – June 27, 1980) was an American jazz clarinetist known for his 15-year tenure with Duke Ellington. He also played tenor saxophone. Biography Bigard was born in New Orleans to Creole parents, Ale ...

recommended Hodges. His playing became one of the identifying voices of the Ellington orchestra. From 1951 to 1955, Hodges left the Duke to lead his own band, but returned shortly before Ellington's triumphant return to prominence – the orchestra's performance at the 1956

Newport Jazz Festival The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hir ...

Biography

Early life

Hodges was born in the Cambridgeport neighborhood of

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

, to John H. Hodges and Katie Swan Hodges, both originally from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

. After moving for a short period of time to North Cambridge, the family moved to Hammond Street in the South End of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, where he grew up with saxophonists

Harry Carney Harry Howell Carney (April 1, 1910 – October 8, 1974) was a jazz saxophonist and clarinettist who spent over four decades as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. He played a variety of instruments but primarily used the baritone saxophone ...

(who would also become a long-term member of Duke Ellington’s big band), Charlie Holmes and Howard E. Johnson. His first instruments were drums and piano. While his mother was a skilled piano player, Hodges was mostly self-taught. Once he became good enough, he played the piano at dances in private homes for $8 an evening. He had taken up the

by his teens. It was around this time that Hodges developed the nickname "Rabbit", which some people believe arose from his ability to win 100-yard dashes and outrun truant officers, while others, including Carney, said he was called by that name because of his rabbit-like nibbling on lettuce and tomato sandwiches. When Hodges was 14, he went with his eldest sister to see

play in Jimmy Cooper's ''Black and White Revue'' in a Boston burlesque hall. Hodges's eldest sister introduced him to Bechet, who asked him to play something on the soprano saxophone he had brought with him. Hodges played "My Honey's Lovin' Arms" for Bechet, who was impressed with his skill and encouraged him to keep on playing and would also give Hodges formal saxophone lessons. Hodges built a name for himself in the Boston area before moving to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1924.

Duke Ellington

Hodges joined Duke Ellington's orchestra in November 1928. He was one of the prominent Ellington Band members who featured in

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His conc ...

's 1938 Carnegie Hall concert. Goodman described Hodges as "by far the greatest man on alto sax that I ever heard."

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

called him "the

Lily Pons Alice Joséphine Pons (April 12, 1898 – February 13, 1976), known professionally as Lily Pons, was a French-American operatic soprano and actress who had an active career from the late 1920s through the early 1970s. As an opera singer, she s ...

of his instrument."

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...

considered Hodges his first model on the saxophone, even calling him “the world's greatest saxophone player.” Johnny Hodges edit

Ellington's practice of writing tunes specifically for members of his orchestra resulted in the Hodges specialties, "Confab with Rab", "Jeep's Blues", "Sultry Sunset", and "Hodge Podge". Other songs recorded by the Ellington Orchestra which prominently feature Hodges's smooth alto saxophone sound are "Magenta Haze", " Prelude to a Kiss", "Haupe" (from '' Anatomy of a Murder'') – also notable are the "seductive" and hip-swaying "Flirtibird", featuring the "irresistibly salacious tremor" by Hodges, "The Star-Crossed Lovers" from Ellington's ''

Such Sweet Thunder ''Such Sweet Thunder'' is a Duke Ellington album, released in 1957. The record is a twelve-part suite based on the work of William Shakespeare. Background In August 1956, Duke Ellington and his orchestra were in Canada, performing in the same ci ...

'' suite, " I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)", " Blood Count" and "Passion Flower". He had a pure tone and economy of melody on both the

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...

and

ballads A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

that won him admiration from musicians of all eras and styles, from

Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Career Early life and career A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he studied violin, learned how to play blues on the piano from ...

and

, who both played with him when he had his own orchestra in the 1950s, to

Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted the '' The Lawrence Welk Show'' from 1951 to 1982. His style came to be known as "champagne music" to his radio, te ...

, who featured him in an album of standards. His highly individualistic playing style, which featured the use of a wide

vibrato Vibrato ( Italian, from past participle of " vibrare", to vibrate) is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. Vibrato is typically characterised in terms ...

and much sliding between slurred notes, was frequently imitated. As evidenced by the Ellington compositions named after him, he earned the nicknames ''Jeep'' and ''Rabbit'' – according to Johnny Griffin because "he looked like a rabbit, no expression on his face while he's playing all this beautiful music."

Saxophones

In the 1940s, Hodges played a Conn 6M (recognizable by its octave-key mechanism being on the underside of the neck) and later on a Buescher 400 (recognizable by its V-shaped bell-brace) alto saxophone. By the end of his career in the late 1960s, Hodges was playing a Vito LeBlanc Rationale alto (serial number 2551A), an instrument with unusual key-mechanisms (providing various alternative fingerings) and tone-hole placement, which gave superior intonation. Fewer than 2,000 were ever made. Hodges's Vito saxophone was silver-plated and extensively engraved on the bell, bow, body and key-cups of the instrument.

Death

Hodges's last performances were at the Imperial Room in Toronto, less than a week before his May 11, 1970 death from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

, suffered during a visit to the office of a dental surgeon. His last recordings are featured on the ''

New Orleans Suite ''New Orleans Suite'' is a studio album by the American pianist, composer, and bandleader Duke Ellington, recorded and released on the Atlantic label in 1970.

'', which was only half-finished when he died. He was married twice; he had a daughter by his first wife, Bertha Pettiford, and a son (John C. Hodges II) and a daughter (Lorna Lee) by his second wife, Edith Cue. The loss of Hodges's sound prompted Ellington, upon learning of the musician's death from a heart attack, to lament to '' JET'' magazine: "The band will never sound the same without Johnny." In Ellington's eulogy of Hodges, he said: "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."

Discography

As leader or co-leader

* 1946: ''Passion Flower'' (RCA) with

Willie Cook Willie Cook (November 11, 1923 – September 22, 2000) was an American jazz trumpeter. Cook was born in Tangipahoa, Louisiana, on November 11, 1923.Hogan, E"Willie Cook" AllMusic. Retrieved July 13, 2017. He grew up in Chicago and learned to p ...

, Roy Eldridge, Quentin Jackson, Russell Procope,

, Sam Woodyard * 1951: ''Caravan'' ( Prestige) with

Taft Jordan Taft Jordan (February 15, 1915 – December 1, 1981) was an American jazz trumpeter. Life and career He was born in Florence, South Carolina, United States. Jordan played early in his career with the Washboard Rhythm Kings, before becoming a m ...

, Harold Baker,

Juan Tizol Juan Tizol Martínez (22 January 1900 – 23 April 1984) was a Puerto Rican jazz trombonist and composer. He is best known as a member of Duke Ellington's big band, and as the writer of the jazz standards "Caravan", "Pyramid", and " Perdid ...

Billy Strayhorn William Thomas Strayhorn (November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967) was an American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger, who collaborated with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington for nearly three decades. His compositions include " Take ...

, Oscar Pettiford,

Sonny Greer William Alexander "Sonny" Greer (December 13, c. 1895 – March 23, 1982) was an American jazz drummer and vocalist, best known for his work with Duke Ellington. Biography Greer was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, United States, and p ...

* 1951-52: '' Castle Rock'' (

Norgran Norgran Records was an American jazz record label in Los Angeles founded by Norman Granz in 1953. It became part of Verve Records, which Granz created in 1956. It is the first letters of Granz's full name. Discography 10 inch LP series 12 inch L ...

) * 1952: '' In a Tender Mood'' (Norgran) * 1952-54: ''

The Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narra ...

'' (Norgran) * 1951-54: ''More of Johnny Hodges'' (Norgran) * 1951-54: ''Memories of Ellington'' (Norgran) also released as ''In a Mellow Tone'' * 1954: '' Used to Be Duke'' (Norgran) * 1952–55: '' Dance Bash'' (Norgran) also released as ''Perdido'' * 1955: ''

Creamy Creamy were a Faroese-Danish teen-pop duo, composed of Rebekka Mathew and Rannva Joensen. Their 1999 debut album, ''Creamy'', made when the pair were just thirteen years of age, was composed of euro-pop versions of children’s songs. In 200 ...

'' (Norgran) * 1956: ''

Ellingtonia '56 ''Ellingtonia '56'' is an album recorded by American jazz saxophonist Johnny Hodges featuring performances with members of the Duke Ellington Orchestra recorded in 1956 and released on the Norgran label.Duke's in Bed ''Duke's in Bed'' is an album recorded by American jazz saxophonist Johnny Hodges with members of the Duke Ellington Orchestra featuring performances recorded in 1956 and released on the Verve label.

'' ( Verve) * 1957: '' The Big Sound'' (Verve) * 1958: '' Blues A-Plenty'' (Verve) * 1958: '' Not So Dukish'' (Verve) * 1959: ''

Johnny Hodges and His Strings Play the Prettiest Gershwin ''Johnny Hodges and His Strings Play the Prettiest Gershwin'' is an album by saxophonist Johnny Hodges accompanied by an orchestra performing Gershwin tunes recorded in Stuttgart in 1958 for the Verve label.

'' (Verve) * 1959: '' Back to Back: Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges Play the Blues'' (Verve) with

* 1959: '' Side by Side'' (Verve) with Duke Ellington * 1960: '' A Smooth One'' (Verve) * 1960: '' Gerry Mulligan Meets Johnny Hodges'' (Verve) with

Gerry Mulligan Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing the instrum ...

* 1961: '' Blue Hodge'' (Verve) with

Wild Bill Davis Wild Bill Davis (November 24, 1918 – August 17, 1995) was the stage name of American jazz pianist, organist, and arranger William Strethen Davis. He is best known for his pioneering jazz electric organ recordings and for his tenure with t ...

* 1961: '' Johnny Hodges with Billy Strayhorn and the Orchestra'' (Verve) * 1961: ''Johnny Hodges at Sportpalast Berlin'' ( Pablo) with Ray Nance, Lawrence Brown, Al Williams * 1963: ''Buenos Aires Blues'' (Johnny Hodges Quintet with

Lalo Schifrin Boris Claudio "Lalo" Schifrin (born June 21, 1932) is an Argentine-American pianist, composer, arranger and conductor. He is best known for his large body of film and TV scores since the 1950s, incorporating jazz and Latin American musical eleme ...

on piano) * 1963: '' Sandy's Gone'' (Verve) * 1963: '' Mess of Blues'' (Verve) with Wild Bill Davis * 1964: '' Everybody Knows Johnny Hodges'' ( Impulse!) * 1964: '' Blue Rabbit'' (Verve) with Wild Bill Davis * 1965: '' Con-Soul & Sax'' (

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

) with Wild Bill Davis * 1965: '' Joe's Blues'' (Verve) with Wild Bill Davis * 1965: '' Wings & Things'' (Verve) with Wild Bill Davis * 1965: '' Inspired Abandon'' (Impulse!) with Lawrence Brown * 1966: ''

Stride Right ''Stride Right'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Johnny Hodges and pianist/organist Earl "Fatha" Hines featuring performances recorded in 1966 and released on the Verve label.

'' (Verve) with

Earl Hines Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 – April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, " ...

* 1966: '' Blue Pyramid'' (Verve) with Wild Bill Davis * 1966: '' Wild Bill Davis & Johnny Hodges in Atlantic City'' (RCA Victor) with Wild Bill Davis * 1966: ''

Blue Notes In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical ...

'' (Verve) * 1967: '' Triple Play'' (RCA Victor) * 1967: ''

Don't Sleep in the Subway "Don't Sleep in the Subway" is a song written by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent and recorded by British singer Petula Clark, for whom it was an April 1967 single release. It received a 1968 Grammy award nomination for best contemporary song, los ...

'' (Verve) * 1967: '' Swing's Our Thing'' (Verve) with Earl Hines * 1968: '' Rippin' & Runnin''' (Verve) * 1970: '' 3 Shades of Blue'' ( Flying Dutchman) with Leon Thomas and

Oliver Nelson Oliver Edward Nelson (June 4, 1932 – October 28, 1975) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. His 1961 Impulse! album ''The Blues and the Abstract Truth'' (1961) is regarded as one of the most signifi ...

As sideman

:''Hodges was not a member of Ellington's Orchestra before 1928, or during 1951–55, or after May 11, 1970, when Hodges died. Duke Ellington's earliest recordings date from 1924 and he died on May 24, 1974. The two men's discographies thus match almost exactly, bar exceptions listed above and in this section.'' with Lawrence Brown * '' Inspired Abandon'' (Impulse!, 1965) – billed as Lawrence Brown's All-Stars with Johnny Hodges with

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first p ...

*''

Hawkins! Eldridge! Hodges! Alive! At the Village Gate! ''Hawkins! Eldridge! Hodges! Alive! At the Village Gate!'' is a live album by saxophonists Coleman Hawkins and Johnny Hodges with trumpeter Roy Eldridge which was recorded at the Village Gate in 1962 and released on the Verve label.

'' (Verve, 1962) with Joya Sherrill *'' Joya Sherrill Sings Duke'' (20th Century Fox, 1965) with

* ''

Cue for Saxophone ''Cue for Saxophone'' is an album by pianist and composer Billy Strayhorn's Septet comprising members of the Duke Ellington Orchestra recorded in 1959 and originally released on the Felsted label in 1959, then reissued by Vocalion in 1962.

'' (

Felsted Felsted (sometimes spelt Felstead) is a village and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. The civil parish includes the hamlets of Bannister Green, Bartholomew Green, Causeway End, Coblers Green, Cock Green, Frenches Gr ...

, 1959) with Billy Taylor * '' Taylor Made Jazz'' (

Argo In Greek mythology the ''Argo'' (; in Greek: ) was a ship built with the help of the gods that Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcos to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece. The ship has gone on to be used as a motif in a variety of ...

, 1959) With

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948–51), Duk ...

*'' Duke with a Difference'' ( Riverside, 1957)

References

External links

* * *
Johnny Hodges recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hodges, Johnny 1907 births 1970 deaths African-American saxophonists American jazz clarinetists American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists Duke Ellington Orchestra members Jazz alto saxophonists Mainstream jazz saxophonists Mainstream jazz clarinetists Musicians from Cambridge, Massachusetts Swing clarinetists Swing saxophonists Vocalion Records artists 20th-century American musicians 20th-century saxophonists Jazz musicians from Massachusetts American male jazz musicians 20th-century American male musicians