Tuba virtuoso Howard Johnson, an in-demand sideman known for performing with Taj Mahal and dozens of other high-profile musicians as well as for his work on “Saturday Night Live,” died at his New York home on Jan. 11.
The multi-instrumentalist, who could also play the baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, flugelhorn, electric bass and pennywhistle, was 79.
His death — following an undisclosed long illness — was confirmed by his longtime partner, Nancy Olewine.
Johnson will be remembered for helping to elevate the status of the tuba in both contemporary jazz and pop music, smashing expectations and going well beyond what many believed to be the limitations of the instrument.
“A tuba can be thunderous, it can be a rough-and-tumble instrument. People don’t think of it as anything delicate,” Johnson is quoted as having said in a 2019 interview for Hot House jazz magazine. “I never thought there was anything the tuba couldn’t do, and I’ve been pretty satisfied with what I can do with a tuba,”
Johnson worked with a regular who’s who in the jazz world during his lengthy career, including such giants of the genre as Ella Fitzgerald, McCoy Tyner, Quincy Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, Gil Evans, Charlie Haden, Carla Bley, Jack DeJohnette and Randy Weston.
He was also well known for his work with such rock/pop/blues acts as John Lennon, Muddy Waters, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Carly Simon, the Band and Taj Mahal, the longtime Bay Area blues artist who drew on Johnson’s mighty talents on 1971’s “The Real Thing.” The double live album, which was recorded at Bill Graham’s Fillmore East in New York, featured Johnson on tuba, flugelhorn and baritone sax — and also doing the brass arrangements, highlighted by four-tuba attack.
Johnson will also be remembered for his role in helping shape the sound of the original “Saturday Night Live” band, which he was a part of during the show’s first five years — from 1975 to 1980. But his contributions to the show extended beyond the bandstand.
“Donning an Egyptian headdress or nurses’ uniform in some of the most beloved early sketches featuring Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin, his weekly ‘SNL’ appearances lent Howard visibility rare for a jazz musician or in-demand sideman,” according to the news release. “But Howard initially turned down the ‘SNL’ gig, telling musical director Howard Shore that having a too-steady job leads to complacency, resulting in bad music. Musicians in that situation ‘start defending their turf, they start feeling like they have something to lose, and they keep narrowing and narrowing their perspective. I don’t want to get caught up in stuff like that.’
“In several interviews, Johnson recalled Shore’s reply: ‘Well, if you feel that way about it, then you’re the man for the job. Get me a bunch of other troublemakers like you and we’ll have a great band.’”
Howard is survived by his longtime partner Nancy Olewine; his daughter, musician Nedra Johnson; and two sisters, Teri Nichols and Connie Armstrong.
A memorial service will be held in 202. Donations in memory of the great musician can be made to the Howard Johnson Tuba Jazz Program Fund at Pennsylvania State University, and mailed to: Donor and Member Services, 2583 Gateway Drive, Bristol Place One, Suite 130State College, PA 16801.