Jimmy "Flim" Johnson

[JimmyJ]

Graeme,
 
Thanks for that, glad you're enjoying some early bb's action.  
 
I've probably said it here before but we did have fun making those records and you can hear it in the music.  The simulated throwing of me into the lake is a good example.  Ha!  
 
Tom Jung liked to make hour-long records because that was a new possibility with CDs and he liked the value of including extra content.  To me that always felt like one side too many and we'd usually run out of tunes by the end and have to cobble something together at the session - with varied results.  So each record has some moments which I still enjoy and a few that make me cringe.  Dick Oatts' playing always makes me smile.  He was and still is a great musician and composer (Momentary Truce is one of his tunes).
 
The whole premise of that band was to make test music for digital audio.  Play soft and then REALLY LOUD, lot's of high bells, big holes for the reverb tails, etc.  Things that showed off the dynamic range, lack of wow and flutter, and crystal clear sound of the new CD format.  (The purists were all up in arms about the limitations of pcm audio - little did they know that mp3s were soon to come leaving CDs as the most hi-fi digital audio for years...)  
 
Anyway ...  thanks for diggin' it.  We were never really serious as a band so I can't foresee us making any more records.  But you never know, stranger things have happened.
 
Cheers!
Jimmy J

[jacko]

Hi Jimmy.  
Thanks for the insight.Interesting that you think there are some cringeworthy moments on the record - I certainly didn't spot them. As for MP3, I refuse point blank to be drawn into that medium and spend at least one saturday afternoon a month trawling through the used vinyl shops in Edinburgh. My turntable easily gets as much use as the CD player.  
Looking at my comment Hopefully more BB's work will surface I actually meant  I hoped more would appear on Ebay. I know you've said many times that it's unlikely you'll make any more BB's records. Two countries seperated by a common language :-)
I saw Allan H had anounced some European dates. None in the UK yet but I live in hope even though it seems you won't be joining him.  
 
Graeme

[slev]

Hi Jimmy,
 
I have been listening to Planet X for a few weeks now, and I was wondering if you could share with us how you got the gig, how you approached the music and how was the overall experience with such amazing players.  
 
I realise this might not be the best thread to ask this, but i figured I would ask anyway!
 
Thank you,
Sacha

[JimmyJ]

Hey Sasha,
 
Welcome to the forum.  This is exactly the place to ask this kind of question as it's the only place I hang out.  And Spector guys are welcome too.
 
A few weeks is a long time to be listening to Planet X, don't hurt yourself.  Ha!  Those guys do brew up some industrial strength fusion music, don't they?  All technical wizards - and very nice guys.
 
got the gig isn't quite right, I've only recorded with them and never attempted to play live.  Even the sessions were always overdubs, with plenty of punches and repairs...  The first time was for a couple tracks of Moonbabies in '02 (I think).  I used to go to Virgil's or Derek's home studios but lately I've been working on things for them on my own home rig.  Or in the case of Derek's latest Oceana I built all my tracks in hotel rooms on the road.
 
I find the written bass parts very difficult if not impossible to play (at least for me, I know there are guys who can do it).  Much of it is composed with sequenced synth bass so sometimes there are things that I just can't reach.  There have been instances where I have simplified a part or even split the part into two pieces and given them two bass tracks to be used simultaneously.  An example of that is the ending section of Alien Hiphop starting around 6:32.  If you listen on phones you can hear that some of my accented notes appear slightly left and some slightly right of center.  That's because there are 2 parts going at that moment, alternating notes (triplets).  I'd need to do some pruning to make a part that I could play all at once at that tempo, and it wouldn't be quite so relentless.  The recorded results are pretty cool though!
 
Oh, I believe these guys knew me from my playing with Allan Holdsworth and maybe a couple other things locally - Derek and Virgil are both in LA.  So they call me every now and again and I am both thrilled and frightened to hear from them.  HA!!
 
Be sure to listen to some nice slow ballads to balance things out!
Best wishes,
Jimmy J

[slev]

Hi Jimmy,
 
Planet X is indeed pretty tricky stuff to play. It must be quite the challenge to play a live set! And good to know I am not the only one that finds Alien Hip Hop's last part difficult stuff:P  
 
Thank you for sharing with us the recording process. Seems like it was both fun and demanding!  
 
Are you planning on coming to Montreal anytime soon? I'd love to go see you play.
 
Sacha

[JimmyJ]

Sacha, (sorry for my previous misspelling.)
 
Montreal is a great town and supports all kinds of music with it's many festivals.  I expect to be there at the end of July with James Taylor - music from the other end of the spectrum.  That may not be your cup of tea but it's been a good touring job for me for many years and I enjoy this style of music too.  Not a lot of call for two simultaneous bass parts, but it is heavy in a different way.
 
You've got some nice two-handed things on your website, I can tell you are in a practicing stage.  Keep up the good work!
 
Jimmy J

[slev]

Hey Jimmy,
 
Thank you for the kind words. Still working very hard to push the enveloppe of bass playing...two-handed tapping has been around for a while now, but I am trying to get my own sound slowly but surely. I don't know if you had a chance to listen to any of my solo project material, but feel free to have a listen if you get a chance!
 
And I will make to sure check out the tour dates of James Taylor. I enjoy music in any form, so I am sure I will find something interesintg in James Taylors (I'll actually check it out as we speak).
 
I read somewhere that you did not have any formal musical training. Funny enough, I am in the same category, and it really is inspiring to see a player of your caliber play such great music.  
 
Thanks again,
 
Sacha

[JimmyJ]

Sacha,
 
Well, no formal training for me on bass but I did study piano as a kid and then clarinet through high school.  Mom taught piano, dad played upright jazz and in the Minnesota Orchestra, older brother played flute, organ, guitar and bass - so I couldn't escape if I'd tried!  A lot of what I learned on clarinet, including reading rhythms, intervals, and hearing melodies, kind of transferred over to the bass and explains why I solo as I do - slightly odd for a bass player.  Probably your background on trumpet does the same for you.  It's all related, any instrument you play has an effect on the next one you play.
 
Carry on.
Jimmy J

[bigredbass]

Jimmy:
 
I took piano trainng all through grade school, and I've always thought I approached bass differently having come from an instrument where with two hands and 88 keys you could play 'both' (or all) parts.  When I took up the bass, it transferred:  I likened to learning to type, inasmuch as I already knew how to spell, knew punctuation, etc.:  I only had to learn the typewriter.
 
I could not imagine playing bass without ever having played an instrument where I could make chords and see the relationships between the parts.  How is it for you?  
 
All the Best,
 
J o e y

[JimmyJ]

J o e y,
 
Well, now I really wish I'd kept up the piano ... but for me it served as a great starting point with rhythm, harmony, melody, treble and bass clef all together.  
 
Since bass lives between the groove and the harmony there are some guys who are much more on the rhythm side of things, more likely to also play drums.  Their playing style, particularly soloing, comes out quite different.  
 
We're definitely the sum of every instrument we've played or any music we've listened to or been exposed to.  It's what makes all our voices unique and the world keep spinning.
 
Best to everybody,
Jimmy J

[elwoodblue]

I've always guessed that's why Hendrix sounds alot like a Sax at times (his Dad played saxaphone).
 
have a good weekend,
Elwood

[jazzyvee]

I guess his dad listened to or played a fair bit of Coltrane stuff then. :-)
 
Jazzyvee

[cozmik_cowboy]

You'll be with JT at Ravenia in July?  Just looked the ticket prices, gulped, & e-mailed the soundman there (old roommate/roadcrewmate); if he can tighten me up, we'll be there.
 
Peter

[gbulfon]

Hi JJ,
last week me and Frank could make it to the new Allan Holdsworth trio, with Donati and Haslip, here in Milan  
 
We had a chance to have dinner with Jimmy Haslip and his wife, and there we happened to talk about you. Haslip asked Frank why he didn't have lessons with you last year, and we had to explain him your reluctancy to give lessons at all...
He was quite surprised! And...you know what he said??? LOL
 
I would take lessons from Jimmy Johnson too, I would love it. - Jimmy Haslip.
 
Fullstop.....

All the best!
Gabriele.

[JimmyJ]

Hey Gabriele,
 
It's great that you and Franco got out to support the team, I'm sure you heard some amazing playing that night.  
 
That's a nice thing for Jimmy H. to say - he's such a gentleman!  He's also another unique voice on the instrument with a really deep sound.  I'm sure I could learn a lot from him!  Is there such a thing as a two-way lesson?  Ha!
 
Thanks for the report.
Jimmy J