Biography
Johnny Griffin ranks among jazz's foremost tenor saxophonists, celebrated for his command of intricate chord progressions and brisk paces found in contemporary idioms. Equally notable was his command of lyrical ballads, placing him on par with Ben Webster as an interpreter of such material.
John Arnold Griffin III entered the world on April 24, 1928, in Chicago, Illinois, where he grew up on the South Side alongside his mother, a vocalist, and his father, a cornetist. As a teenager Griffin encountered Gene Ammons performing with King Kolax's orchestra. Two years afterward he adopted the alto saxophone and soon joined bluesman T-Bone Walker on the bandstand. While attending DuSable High School he received instruction from the renowned band director Captain Walter Dyett. Following graduation Griffin toured with Lionel Hampton's orchestra, switched to tenor saxophone, and relocated to New York City. Throughout the late 1940s he contributed robust R&B lines alongside Joe Morris through 1950 and with Arnett Cobb in 1951. He then served in the armed forces in Hawaii, performing with an Army ensemble.
Once discharged Griffin returned to Chicago and performed regularly with Thelonious Monk's groups through the mid-1960s. In 1958 he recorded the Blue Note album Introducing Johnny Griffin and that same year assembled a sextet featuring Detroit musicians Pepper Adams and Donald Byrd. He worked with pianists Bud Powell and Elmo Hope, spent a brief period in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, advanced his solo career on the Riverside label, and earned the sobriquet "The Little Giant" via the 1959 album of that title. His most celebrated partnership involved fellow saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis. Griffin also participated in the landmark Blue Note session A Blowin' Session alongside John Coltrane and Hank Mobley.
Disillusioned by American indifference toward jazz, Griffin chose expatriate life. By 1963 he had settled in Paris, France, where he produced numerous recordings with European rhythm sections for Storyville, Black Lion, and SteepleChase. He served as a founding member and principal soloist for an extended period in the Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band, sharing stages with leading American and European musicians. The year 1975 proved significant: Griffin appeared with the orchestras of Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie, performances preserved on recordings from the Montreux Jazz Festival. He further collaborated with German saxophonist Klaus Doldinger and his fusion ensemble Passport. Late in the decade Griffin revisited the United States to record for Galaxy and toured with fellow expatriate tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon.
He departed Paris for a farm in the Dutch countryside, relocated to the Côte d'Azur in 1980, and moved to rural Availles-Limouzine in 1984. In 1986 Griffin joined the Paris Reunion Band with Woody Shaw, Dizzy Reece, Slide Hampton, and Kenny Drew, resulting in one album for Sonet. While based in France he recorded for Antilles and Verve, issuing The Cat in 1991 and Chicago, New York, Paris in 1994. Around his birthday each year he frequently performed at Chicago's Jazz Showcase. In later decades he worked with pianist Martial Solal and saxophonist Steve Grossman. Griffin died at age 80 on July 25, 2008, in Mauprévoir.
John Arnold Griffin III entered the world on April 24, 1928, in Chicago, Illinois, where he grew up on the South Side alongside his mother, a vocalist, and his father, a cornetist. As a teenager Griffin encountered Gene Ammons performing with King Kolax's orchestra. Two years afterward he adopted the alto saxophone and soon joined bluesman T-Bone Walker on the bandstand. While attending DuSable High School he received instruction from the renowned band director Captain Walter Dyett. Following graduation Griffin toured with Lionel Hampton's orchestra, switched to tenor saxophone, and relocated to New York City. Throughout the late 1940s he contributed robust R&B lines alongside Joe Morris through 1950 and with Arnett Cobb in 1951. He then served in the armed forces in Hawaii, performing with an Army ensemble.
Once discharged Griffin returned to Chicago and performed regularly with Thelonious Monk's groups through the mid-1960s. In 1958 he recorded the Blue Note album Introducing Johnny Griffin and that same year assembled a sextet featuring Detroit musicians Pepper Adams and Donald Byrd. He worked with pianists Bud Powell and Elmo Hope, spent a brief period in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, advanced his solo career on the Riverside label, and earned the sobriquet "The Little Giant" via the 1959 album of that title. His most celebrated partnership involved fellow saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis. Griffin also participated in the landmark Blue Note session A Blowin' Session alongside John Coltrane and Hank Mobley.
Disillusioned by American indifference toward jazz, Griffin chose expatriate life. By 1963 he had settled in Paris, France, where he produced numerous recordings with European rhythm sections for Storyville, Black Lion, and SteepleChase. He served as a founding member and principal soloist for an extended period in the Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band, sharing stages with leading American and European musicians. The year 1975 proved significant: Griffin appeared with the orchestras of Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie, performances preserved on recordings from the Montreux Jazz Festival. He further collaborated with German saxophonist Klaus Doldinger and his fusion ensemble Passport. Late in the decade Griffin revisited the United States to record for Galaxy and toured with fellow expatriate tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon.
He departed Paris for a farm in the Dutch countryside, relocated to the Côte d'Azur in 1980, and moved to rural Availles-Limouzine in 1984. In 1986 Griffin joined the Paris Reunion Band with Woody Shaw, Dizzy Reece, Slide Hampton, and Kenny Drew, resulting in one album for Sonet. While based in France he recorded for Antilles and Verve, issuing The Cat in 1991 and Chicago, New York, Paris in 1994. Around his birthday each year he frequently performed at Chicago's Jazz Showcase. In later decades he worked with pianist Martial Solal and saxophonist Steve Grossman. Griffin died at age 80 on July 25, 2008, in Mauprévoir.