Bass Player: Alphonso Johnson

Known primarily for his work with Weather Report, bassist Alphonso Johnson also performed and recorded extensively with a range of other artists including Santana. Phil Collins, Billy Cobham, Chet Baker and Bob Weir (Grateful Dead). His fretless playing predated the innovations of Jaco Pastorius and his work on the Weather Report album, ‘Black Market’ stood alongside Jaco’s without any need for pointless comparisons.

Johnson had played with Weather Report for several years before Jaco’s arrival and had recorded on the albums, ‘Tale Spinnin” (1975) and ‘Mysterious Traveller’ (1974) and it is from the latter that the transcription comes. A request from the Talkbass forum, this is the Johnson performance of the tune ‘Cucumber Slumber’ which Johnson co-wrote with keyboard player, Joe Zawinul. Based around some simple grooves, it is Johnson’s improvised fills that bring the chart to life. Most of the performance is here but the chart asks the reader to ‘repeat with variation’ when a detailed transcription of every nuance became tedious.