April 09, 2009

By By Gail Mitchell, L.A.

Earl Johnson Jr.?s debut album, ?Juicy,? has netted the pianist/composer nominations in two separate competitions. Johnson counts three nods?including jazz group/artist of the year?in the fifth annual Los Angeles South Bay Music Awards (April 27).

He?s also one of six finalists competing in the sixth annual Capital Jazz
Challenge (June 5 in Columbia, Maryland). The competition is tied to the 17th annual Capital Jazz Festival (June 5-7), whose headliners include Natalie Cole, Will Downing and Al Jarreau. The winner receives $5000 and a 30-minute main stage slot on the last day of the festival.

A noted sideman and musical director, Johnson has worked and/or toured with Chaka Khan, Beyonc?, Stevie Wonder and Gerald Albright, among others. The Los Angeles-based artist wrote, arranged and produced the 11-track ?Juicy,? released last October on Johnson?s First Domain Records and is currently available on iTunes and cdbaby. A contemporary jazz album at its core, ?Juicy? offers a tempting mix of instrumental and vocal tracks as it skillfully shifts from smooth to funky with its shadings of R&B and hip-hop.

?I didn?t try to stay within any particular confines in terms of style,?
says Johnson, a graduate of Boston?s Berklee College of Music. ?And I didn?t want it to be cookie-cutter. It?s an accurate reflection of the music I love to play and sing: my fusion of contemporary jazz with an R&B twist.?

Johnson has two new projects in the works. The first is a twist on song
covers, while the second taps back into the ?Juicy? vein. Johnson plans to
release the latter project by late summer/early fall.

Subscribe to Billboard magazine today!