Tommy Johnson solo recordings

[Dylan King]

Well, one can hear Mr. Johnson solo (in one form or another) on probably 66% of all of the major Hollywood motion pictures recorded in Los Angeles from perhaps the mid-sixties to his death in 2006.

I was a student of his when he recorded Tubby with the Manhattan Transfer, and he was very excited about the recording, that is a good place to start. I remember him debating on what horn to take to Florida for the recording, and he finally decided on his Yamaha 822 F, although I think he would have liked to take three horns if it was practical. Perhaps that was part of what got his brain stirring towards making an F/CC double horn.

In 1992 he played an incredible solo recital in Schoenberg Hall at UCLA, where he performed the Broughton Sonata and some other very popular (at least to us tubists) pieces, including a spectacular piece on his Rudy F cimbasso. Mr. Broughton was his accompanist throughout the performance, if I remember correctly. I know that it was recorded by the UCLA A/V staff, but don't know what ever happened to that recording. Most likely, Mr. Johnson had a recording of the concert himself, and it may be amongst the items left in his estate.

If anyone ever gets their hand on that particular recording, I would pay top digital dollar to get a copy myself. I was blessed to be there, and to be with him backstage right before he played!

[Dylan King]

Now that I think of it, I remember the concert ending with a fantastic quintet piece. I think it had Bill Booth, Rick Todd, Malcolm McNabb, and somebody else on trumpet. It would be real neat to hear a recording of that recital again. I remember that it was the first he had played in many years. I don't know if he ever played another one.

[Dylan King]

A few in particular that come right to mind are...

Dennis the Menace
The Flintstones Movie with John Goodman
Superman
The Three Musketeers
Toys
Christmas Vacation

[GC]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Johnson_%28tubist%29

[poomshanka]

A few in particular that come right to mind are...

Dennis the Menace
The Flintstones Movie with John Goodman
Superman
The Three Musketeers
Toys
Christmas Vacation

Dennis the Menace was actually Jim Self (so much tuba, he was actually credited in the liner notes). Wasn't Superman Fletch and the LSO?

Yes, the Flintstones movie is wall-to-wall tuba, but none of that ever made it onto a soundtrack release. Silverado's another good one. Some nice licks in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The Tigger Movie of course has that insane high melodic solo (you'd have to track that one down on the promo score CD). The remastered Poltergeist, with Tommy and Jim, might just as well have been a tuba solo for as hotly as they're featured in the mix. Star Trek the Motion Picture (Tommy and Jim). Tasty little solo in Titanic. Beetlejuice.

Just a couple off the top of my head...

...D

[poomshanka]

Tigger Movie. Goodness gracious:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpCHmRpLiF4" target="_blank

Starts around 6:28. Can you imagine the red light coming on and having to nail this after having only spent a few minutes with it... at best?

[poomshanka]

The Flintstones Movie with John Goodman

Two cues:

http://www.daveamason.com/tuba/flint_1.mp3" target="_blank
http://www.daveamason.com/tuba/flint_2.mp3" target="_blank

[poomshanka]

Meet the Applegates:

http://www.daveamason.com/tuba/applegates.mp3" target="_blank

[poomshanka]

Honeymoon in Vegas:

http://www.daveamason.com/tuba/honeymoon.mp3" target="_blank

[Wyvern]

Tigger Movie. Goodness gracious:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpCHmRpLiF4" target="_blank" target="_blank

Starts around 6:28. Can you imagine the red light coming on and having to nail this after having only spent a few minutes with it... at best?

So would he have played this on CC, or switched to F? Did he use multiple tubas on a soundtrack, or do it all on one?

[poomshanka]

So would he have played this on CC, or switched to F? Did he use multiple tubas on a soundtrack, or do it all on one?

Definitely on his F, and it might've been his CC/F double tuba (a converted Yamaha 822):

http://www.daveamason.com/tuba/tommy_double_tuba.jpg" target="_blank

http://www.daveamason.com/tuba/double_tuba.jpg" target="_blank

In a sense, it's two tubas in one. He would've also used multiple horns at a session, depending on the demands of the music.

...D

[poomshanka]

At 3:04:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbck2TH6izI" target="_blank

No mistaking that sound...