Randy Johnston Trio

An expressive, often funky hard bopper who is quite comfortable in soul-jazz settings, Randy Johnston has evolved into one of the finest straight-ahead jazz guitarists of the Baby Boomer generation. Johnston has never been an introverted sort of player; he is an aggressive, gritty, hard-swinging musician who brings a great deal of blues feeling to his work. The late Grant Green is Johnston’s most obvious influence, and other guitarists who have had an impact on his playing include, among others, Pat Martino, Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery, and George Benson (especially the straight-ahead recordings that Benson provided for Columbia early in his career). Blues great B.B. King’s electric guitar playing has also been cited as an influence on Johnston, which isn’t surprising because the Detroit native definitely knows his way around a 12-bar blues.