Biography
In 1989 saxophonist, producer, and bandleader John Firmin, known professionally as Johnny Nocturne, assembled the Johnny Nocturne Band. The group took its name from his well-known version of “Harlem Nocturne.” Firmin launched the ensemble to assist the proprietor of a blues venue in Berkeley, California, by presenting soul-jazz rooted in blues traditions. Since then the unit has become a regular attraction at clubs and festivals while maintaining an active recording schedule from the 1990s through the following decade.
Firmin spent his formative years in Anchorage, Alaska, surrounded by jazz and blues because his father also played saxophone. Early professional work found him on tenor saxophone in small ensembles that accompanied exotic dancers. During adolescence he absorbed material by Stanley Turrentine, King Curtis, Hank Crawford, and David “Fathead” Newman. These artists, together with Leroy “Hog” Cooper, shaped his approach; he blends their stylistic traits seamlessly yet retains a personal voice. Later he organized an eight-piece outfit featuring four horns and a four-piece rhythm section. His initial major opportunity arrived in 1975 when he joined David Bromberg’s then-thriving touring group.
Years of steady club and festival work produced an extensive session résumé. Firmin has recorded or toured with Bromberg, Paula Lockheart, Joe Louis Walker, Rusty Zinn, Bob Dylan, Little Charlie & the Nightcats, Dave Myers, Mark Hummel, and Mitch Woods.
Following the band’s formation, a favorable local notice led to an invitation to perform at the now-defunct San Francisco Blues Festival in the same year. Shortly afterward Firmin’s group began a long-running engagement at Slim’s in San Francisco, the blues and jazz room co-owned by Dallas-raised vocalist and songwriter Boz Scaggs. There the musicians broadened their repertoire by supporting Johnny Adams, Laverne Baker, Earl King, Johnny “Clyde” Copeland, and Otis Clay. The band appeared repeatedly at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy and also traveled elsewhere in Europe and to Japan.
In the 1990s the ensemble signed with Rounder Records and issued several well-regarded albums on the label. The most recent of these, Million Dollar Secret, featured vocalist Kim Nalley; earlier titles include Wild and Cool, Shake ‘Em Up, and Wailin’ Daddy. Subsequent recordings appeared on Blue Bucket Records: Good to the Damn Bone, which contains vocal performances by Brenda Boykin, Kim Nalley, and Miss Dee—formerly the featured singer with the Johnny Otis Band—and Blues Volume, which highlights Miss Dee’s talents alone.
Firmin spent his formative years in Anchorage, Alaska, surrounded by jazz and blues because his father also played saxophone. Early professional work found him on tenor saxophone in small ensembles that accompanied exotic dancers. During adolescence he absorbed material by Stanley Turrentine, King Curtis, Hank Crawford, and David “Fathead” Newman. These artists, together with Leroy “Hog” Cooper, shaped his approach; he blends their stylistic traits seamlessly yet retains a personal voice. Later he organized an eight-piece outfit featuring four horns and a four-piece rhythm section. His initial major opportunity arrived in 1975 when he joined David Bromberg’s then-thriving touring group.
Years of steady club and festival work produced an extensive session résumé. Firmin has recorded or toured with Bromberg, Paula Lockheart, Joe Louis Walker, Rusty Zinn, Bob Dylan, Little Charlie & the Nightcats, Dave Myers, Mark Hummel, and Mitch Woods.
Following the band’s formation, a favorable local notice led to an invitation to perform at the now-defunct San Francisco Blues Festival in the same year. Shortly afterward Firmin’s group began a long-running engagement at Slim’s in San Francisco, the blues and jazz room co-owned by Dallas-raised vocalist and songwriter Boz Scaggs. There the musicians broadened their repertoire by supporting Johnny Adams, Laverne Baker, Earl King, Johnny “Clyde” Copeland, and Otis Clay. The band appeared repeatedly at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy and also traveled elsewhere in Europe and to Japan.
In the 1990s the ensemble signed with Rounder Records and issued several well-regarded albums on the label. The most recent of these, Million Dollar Secret, featured vocalist Kim Nalley; earlier titles include Wild and Cool, Shake ‘Em Up, and Wailin’ Daddy. Subsequent recordings appeared on Blue Bucket Records: Good to the Damn Bone, which contains vocal performances by Brenda Boykin, Kim Nalley, and Miss Dee—formerly the featured singer with the Johnny Otis Band—and Blues Volume, which highlights Miss Dee’s talents alone.
Albums
