
Saxophonist John Firmin formed
the Johnny Nocturne Band in 1989 to play a couple
of sets of instrumental music at Larry Blake’s “Home
of the Blues” in Berkeley. The concept
was to play small-band arrangements found in
the neglected “grey area” where jazz
met rhythm and blues in post-war America. This
musical landscape began with jump bands and continued
through the 1950s to include later artists such
as the JB’s, Mongo Santamaria, King Curtis,
Freddy King, Cannonball Adderley, and Herbie
Hancock. These instrumental recordings were danceable
and occasionally made the Pop and R&B charts.
After a great review in the East Bay Express, the
band was asked to play the San Francisco Blues
Festival, and they also began a long series of
gigs at Slim’s in San Francisco, backing
up, and occasionally touring with, well-known
artists including Johnny Adams, Laverne Baker,
Earl King, Johnny Copeland, and Otis Clay. The
band performed at the prestigious Umbria Jazz
Festival in Italy for several years; they also
toured Europe and Japan. With the unexpected
emergence of the retro-swing movement of the
1990s, the band found itself adding a vocalist
and with Charles Brown’s influence, they
landed a record deal with Rounder. Firmin’s
1999 take on the classic 1939 Hagen/Rogers-penned “Harlem
Nocturne” became the most downloaded version
from over 150 versions offered on iTunes and
other digital services, and has consistently
been at the top of the “Harlem” chart
for close to a decade. Firmin shows his Archie
Shepp and King Curtis influence in the soulful
recording, which has also been used as background
in films for television.
2010’s Monterey
Jazz Festival finds a special edition of John Firmin and the
Nocturne Band which goes back to its
twenty-year-old roots at Larry Blake’s.
Featuring their original instrumental concept,
the band will present a “Tribute to the
Soul Saxophone” -- in particular, paying
homage to Ray Charles’ horn section -- Hank
Crawford, David “Fathead”
Newman and Leroy “Hog” Cooper.
All three passed away within days of each other
in early 2009. Crawford’s own band recorded
several albums for Atlantic which featured “Fathead” and “Hog.” Along
with King Curtis’ Kingpins and the Johnny
Hodges Band, these artists were the major influences
on the early Nocturne tune library.
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