The Point Album - NSU Jazz

Tracks:

1. It's About Time - Henry Johnson, arr. Arthur White
2. Sambalea - Henry Johnson, arr. Arthur White
3. Here's to Life - Butler/Molinary, arr. Johnny Pate
4. Balloon Animals - Bradley Spears*
5. Creating Awkward Moments - Bradley Spears*
6. Shaker Pants - Tracy Patterson*
7. Please Send Me Someone to Love - Percy Mayfield, arr. Arthur White
8. The Point - Henry Johnson, arr. Arthur White
9. Just a Shade Under a Decade - Bradley Spears*
10. Third Rail - Henry Johnson, arr. Arthur White
11. Blues for Art's Sake - Henry Johnson

*indicates students from NSU Jazz Studies Program

• Arthur White, director (saxophone on track 11)
• Henry Johnson, guitar (1, 2, 6-11), vocals (3, 7)

Saxophones:

• Alto 1: Tracy Patterson, Tonkawa, OK (solos on 1, 4, 6)
• Alto 2: Sadie Gaylord, Oolagah, OK
• Tenor 1: Zach Eldridge, Verdigris, OK (solos on 8, 1st sax solo on 10)
• Tenor 2: Michelle Duke, Checotah, OK
• Baritone: Jonathan Rice, Checotah, OK (bassoon on 4, solo on 9)
• Additional Parts: Cory Martin, Coweta, OK (solos on 9, 2nd sax solo on 10)

Trumpets:

• Jason Ashmore, Tulsa, OK (lead on all tracks except 4, 5)
• Nathan Cole, Bixby, OK (lead on tracks 4, 5)
• Jared Brown, Tulsa, OK (solo on 2, 9)
• Lisa Rhodes, Quapaw, OK

Trombones:

• Aaron Hollon (lead), Verdigris, OK (solo on tracks 2, 7, 10)
• Danielle Embrey, Coweta, OK (solo on 6, 9)
• Blake Peters, Tulsa, OK
• Trevor Moore (bass), Tulsa, OK (all tracks except 4)

Rhythm:

• Bradley Spears, guitar, Coweta, OK (solo on 4, 5 guitar licks on 7)
• Tatsuo Kohjima, piano, Osaka, Japan (solos on 1, 6, 8)
• Justin Fulfer, bass, Broken Arrow, OK (all but 11)
• Dixie Weathers, drums, Checotah, OK (3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11: marimba on 4)
• Tony Hankins, drums, Verdigris, OK (1, 2, 4, 9)

Special Guests:

• Shane Ohlson, piano, Tahlequah, OK (11)
• Mike Schmidt, bass, Tulsa, OK (11)

About the Artists

Henry Johnson is a Grammy nominated guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and is one of the world's foremost jazz musicians. Johnson has a brilliant and storied career that includes extended stints with jazz organist Jack McDuff, vocalist Donny Hathaway, pianist Ramsey Lewis, and jazz legend Joe Williams, in addition to leading his own stellar groups. Currently, Johnson leads the Organ Express, a Chicago-based group modeled after the hard swinging organ trios and quartets of the 1960s. Influenced proudly by Kenny Burrell, George Benson, and Wes Montgomery, Johnson has several critically acclaimed albums to his credit, including You're the One, Future Excursions, and Never Too Much, which all his number one on the contemporary jazz charts, and his most recent CD, Organic, which features the powerful singing of Nancy Wilson. Johnson has also recorded with jazz legends Freddie Hubbard, Vanessa Rubin, Ramsey Lewis, and Richie Cole, among others. Dedicated to education, Henry is a professor of jazz guitar at the Music Conservatory of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. Visit www.henryjohnsonjazz.com for more information.

Arthur White is the Director of Jazz Studies and Assistant Professor of Music at Northeastern State University. Emerging nationally as a saxophonist, composer/arranger and educator, he has recorded with jazz legend Dewey Redman, Fred Wesley, Chris Murrell, Scott Wendholt, Bobby Watson, and now with the great Henry Johnson. White has arranged music for jazz luminaries Mulgrew Miller, Kevin Mahogany, Henry Johnson, Dewey Redman, Scott Wendholt, Bobby Watson, Bob Mintzer, Robin Eubanks, Kathy Kosins, and Paul Hanson. White is published by Second Floor Music, through Hal Leonard, Inc. White was named the 2007 Oklahoma Jazz Educator of the Year by the Oklahoma state chapter of the International Association for Jazz Education.

The NSU Jazz Ensemble I is the flagship ensemble of the Jazz Program at Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, OK. The Jazz Ensemble I have recently performed with internationally recognized artists such as Joe Lovano, Slide Hampton, Byron Stripling, Jimmy Cobb, Kevin Mahogany, Bobby Shew, and many others. NSU is the only higher education institution in the state of Oklahoma to offer a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a Jazz Studies major. NSU hosts the Green Country Jazz Festival, the longest running jazz festival in Oklahoma. The NSU Jazz Lab, a unique state-of-the-art performance and recording facility, serves as the home for the jazz studies program. The NSU Jazz Studies program has hosted concerts performed by Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Barron, Kevin Mahogany, Marvin Stamm, Ravi Coltrane, Bobby Watson, Mulgrew Miller, John Patitucci, Diana Krall, Russell Malone, T.S. Monk, and Eliane Elias, to name but a few. The band's second CD, Appointment in Milano with Bobby Watson, was named as a Blue Chip Award winner by Jazz Education Journal, Signifying the CD as one of the top ten university jazz CDs of 2006.

All proceeds from the sale of this recording will benefit the NSU Jazz Studies Program, and are used to support the program through public performances, tours, and recordings.

This CD sponsored in part by: Windstream, and NSU Jazz Lab.