Vinyl Vault: Earl Hines / Budd Johnson, "Linger Awhile"

On the next Vinyl Vault, we’ll feature an album from piano man Earl “Fatha” Hines and sax man Budd Johnson entitled "Linger Awhile.” The album was recorded in 1974 and released in 1979 on Classic Jazz Records.

Hines and Johnson had known each other for several decades by the time they recorded this album. In 1935, Hines was leading a big band when an accident on the road killed his saxophonist/arranger Cecil Irwin. When Hines’ band returned to Chicago, he immediately contacted Johnson, whom he had heard play several times and had jammed with. Those early encounters revealed a deep musical chemistry between the two. The result was that the two played together whenever possible over the years. The session for “Linger Awhile’ took place 40 years after their initial introduction.

“Linger Awhile” also features James P. Leary on bass and Panama Francis on drums. The program includes several originals and some covers. On all of the tracks, the joy Hines and Johnson felt in playing together is readily apparent.

Join your Night Beat host, Geoff Anderson, for the next Vinyl Vault this Tuesday, March 10, at 8:30 p.m. on KUVO JAZZ.