This up-and-coming singer stakes a solid claim as the musical heir to Eddie Jefferson. Heck, while I was entering the track listing of my latest Jefferson album, I stuck Next in Line! in the CD player, and within a track I was convinced I was listening to Jefferson. That said, Johnson has his own style and his own songs, and I look eagerly forward to hearing more from him.

Links

• The new official George V. Johnson, Jr. page has numerous links to other GVJ sites.
• The older official George V. Johnson, Jr. page has all the biographical material which this page lacks. It also provides ordering information on Next in Line!.

Recordings

• Next In Line! (2000 Your Majesty Records)
  The first track is a grainy snippet of Eddie Jefferson introducing George at a concert in 1977. The next five tracks are studio recordings. The last two are live recordings, and while the sound isn't as clean, it's still quite adequate. This album is well worth a listen, particularly if you are a fan of Eddie Jefferson. (And who isn't?)
  • "Eddie Jefferson" Eddie introduces George.
  • "Opening Night" Very catchy Johnson original.
  • "My Little Suede Shoes" Johnson vocalese on a Charlie Parker solo.
  • "Star Eyes" Johnson vocalese on a Charlie Parker tune.
  • "Nigerian ju ju Highlife" Johnson sets lyrics to a traditional African melody.
  • "Gingerbread Boy" Johnson vocalese on a Jimmy Heath tune.
  • "Freedom Jazz" The Eddie Jefferson "Freedom Jazz Dance", complete with a tap-dance solo.
  • "Bitches Brew" Chris Hall's vocalese on the Miles Davis tune.

  (I originally reviewed a CD-R version of this album. Since then it has had a proper CD pressing, and now that I've got a copy of that, I've updated this entry. The new pressing adds the Eddie Jefferson sound bite, and cleans up the few audio glitches of the CD-R. It may also have been remastered a bit; it sounds great.)