I recently caught John Mayer’s performance on DirecTV’s Control Room. Having never seen Mayer in concert live or otherwise, I immediately took notice of what a great guitarist the guy is. The very next thing I noticed was drummer JJ Johnson, who plays well throughout the show. His grooves are fantastic, his timing flawless and his sound great. Johnson’s Ludwig kit configuration for this performance was what I like to call the South by Southwest look (single rack tom, ride cymbal at immediate right). Johnson’s snare projected a deep warm tone, which works beautifully with Mayer’s bluesy sound. If there is form and function in drumming, Johnson’s function is simply that he’s a superb player with a great sound. Form, however, is found in Johnson’s stage precence. Sporting a red shirt for this performance, Johnson broke up the pond of dark outfits worn by the rest of the band. Of equal importance to this form, Johnson has great hair! When I see guys like JJ Johnson or Lenny Kravitz, I wish my hair were so cool. Drummers may read this and think I’m an idiot. I argue, however, that stage presence, second to playing well and sounding great, is huge. So get freaky, do it with rhythm, and look good doing it. Check out this video, which features J.J. with Doyle Bramhall II.
~r
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{ 24 } Comments
I saw this same concert and couldn’t stop watching it (thanks to Tivo) for days! Aside from Mayers band being all around spectacular, JJ Johnson’s playing is just an absolute joy to watch and listen to. Major deep groove and impeccable timing. When you watch him you can tell that he’s IN the music and not just playing it. And yeah, he looks cool too!
Mike, Your so right! I should post on the quality of the show itself. I too have been watching it, and sometimes just listening to it, over and over. In the words of Mick Jagger, “Thank you Jesus. Thank you Lord,” (for Tivo).
~r
Talk about groove! This guy is inside the groove and time better than anybody I’ve seen in a long time. Very reminescent of Steve Jordan. Oh yeah, I bought a red shirt for my last gig!
I watched this on Direct Tv and couldn’t take my eyes off of the drummer. He is really good, loved the red shirt and his hair. And he’s easy on the eyes! I am a new fan of John Mayer and his drummer.
Shelia
I just caught the show live in Huntsville, Alabama last night. If you thought JJ was kickin’ on DirecTV (which he was, I saw the last half of that show), you should have heard him live!
I was too far back to get details on his Ludwig kit, but it looked like a 24-inch kick that sounded like a cannon. He switched snares a couple of times between what looked to be a 7-inch deep fat sounding snare and another that was very high and cracking.
I highly recommend seeing JM live, since the entire band is incredible. Vocals, mixing levels and of course instrumental talent were all top notch. Go see them if you can!
Please paste the following link in your browser for a fantastic performance of my man JJ:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bseL6x_WCiw&mode=related&search=
One word. Amazing!!
yes, I thought I saw him changing snares several times, if not every song. Which I found to be slightly humorous as Mayer switches guitars in the same manner. Check out Dave Matthews Band on DirecTv if they show it again too. Another blow your mind drummer ! I can’t get “Gravity” out of my head.
I SEEN JJ A COUPLE OF TIMES IN DFW WITH IAN
MOORE, HE’S ON MOORE’S ‘AND ALL THE COLORS’
AND ALSO ONE OF DOYLE BRAMHALL JR’S
first saw jj in nashville a few years back w/mayer for the heavier things tour. never had heard/seen him befire that. to this day i still embrace that performance…his body language translates through the instrument and his groove is spot on, tasteful and infectious. still trying to catch him again w/mayer, but will definatly be a fan forever.
(just don’t get the switch from ayotte to ludwig though…)
I have known and seen JJ play since we were in high school in San Antonio at Madison HS and he has always been a phenomenal drummer I am so happy to see that the world is now able to see what we all witnessed all those years ago.
I didn’t even know that J.J. went to school in San Antonio. I’m from Fort Worth, and hold San Antonio near and dear to my heart. It’s a nice reminder that Texas has been and continues to be home to many music greats.
Brilliant he has such a great pulse he sets up the groove perfectly I have always loved Steve Jordan I wondered how John would get to play for his live shows he is definately on a winner with JJ so nice to hear a real song drummer
totally aggree!!!! JJ’f performance at the Chapel is also great! check it out!! i am totally into his sound and groove, but theres a couple of things bothering me, #1 – what model ludwig kit does he use? and #2- what cymbals does he use??? ive got a feeling he either uses zildjian K’s, or K Constantinople cymbals.. but im jsut not sure!! and what the heck are those high hats!! = AWESOME!!!!
Kale,
I’ll look into those questions. This post has far and away received the most interest. Thanks for the comment!
robonzo
JJ Johnson’s drumming is consistent and he keeps it “in the pocket.” I see a lot of Steve Jordan influence in his drumming. I love that about his style.
anyone know what type of sticks he uses? the promark site said he uses 9A’s. That is obviously out of date or either thats what he uses to record with. Thanks for the info on JJ.
-Alex
I had the opportunity to tour with John Mayer for several concerts in 2006… JJ is my fav. drummer ever for stage presence.
Set up….
Looks like 24″ bass drum, 13″ rack tom plus 16″ and 18″ floor
Ride Cymbals All K Costantinople and the Hi Hat looks like a custom made costantinople 16″ maybe I’ll get the set soon.
He changes snares almost every song. He uses a 12″ and a 14″ very deep, also maybe a 15″… big sizes!
Met JJ Johnson opening up for the “Billy White Trio” at the Steamboat in Austin, TX on a Tuesday night in 1995. I was nervous as hell! I was 18 years old and it was my first gig in Austin at a legendary club. I had already heard a lot about “that JJ dude” but had no idea who he was. I look up during the last song and instanly knew that JJ was the guy leaning up against the wall watching my every move. He came over and introduced himself and even helped me pull my drums off the stage. At this time, I was rocking the giant over-kill drum kit with a million cymbals and toms and a double pedal… JJ sets up a kick, snare, hat, floor tom, and a crash/ride. He proceeded to change the way that I looked at a drum kit for the rest of my life. I now have a WAY scaled back config (thanks to JJ) and will never forget the night that I actually SAW and heard what playing a groove in the pocket was!! Blew me away! And an incredibly humble and nice cat too! Still can’t find much about him on the web (no website — no myspace). So props to all you guys for giving JJ props!
Having received a number of comments on JJ, I thought I’d share this somewhat dated bio that I found on Doyle Bramhall Jr’s website.
http://www.doylebramhall2nd.com/jjbio.htm
~r
JJ is a really great guy and I’m so happy for his success and who it is with! I remember as well, catching him at the Steamboat in Austin, TX (on 6th St…sadly no more) with a few different bands as my main band out of Denton, TX (now in Austin) Mingo Fishtrap.. would open for them. I think he was playing with Ian Moore at the time. And yeah, as Nickolas says.. a truly humble and nice guy.
And of course, such a deep player/musician and plays so musically. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him play something that wasn’t deeply supportive of the song. I just bumped into him at an Antone’s gig I played on a Monday night a couple weeks ago and congratulated him on the “Where The Light Is” John Mayer Video. JJ Johnson and Pino Palladino (bass) AND Steve Jordan.. damn… a must have!
I had great joy of working with JJ back in Austin in 2000. I’m in LA now. He did some studio playing on an indie project I was doing under my own name- Laurie Markvart. To this day…JJ blows my mind. By far the best drummer I’ve had the chance to work with. All our work was studio…no live…my loss. Give a listen to my song Faith in which he plays on.
http://www.garageband.com/artist/laurie_markvart
Actually, on garageband he plays on Faith, Gloom, Zarelda & All In A Phone Call. But Faith…this is JJ in great form. He threw this beat down after some real simple guidance to my song layout and I still think today his beat brings the song to a whole other level. Okay…Ephraim Owens and his trumpet has a bit of magic on the song too but JJ…is smooth juice.
I love how you say “form” and then you start talking about his wardrobe.
Everyone knows that JJ is a great player, but no one ever talks about how cool he looks. I couldn’t help myself.
~r
One of our readers (Stuart) recently asked, “What size the Ayotte snare drum does JJ use? Also how many plies thick is it?” He found out that it’s a 14X6, 10-ply maple shell. Thanks Stuart!
~r
I think amongst Steve Jordan (obviously!) and Matt Chamberlain, JJ is in my top 3 fav players. What a fine musician this boy is with incredible stage presence. I dont think i’ve ever seen a player feel every note that he plays like the way JJ does. His musicality is beautiful, i have never heard anybody beat this guy for tone and choice of groove on a song. Any fills he goes are very well thought out, with lots of this great feel and space. His choice if gear and cymbals even lets you know how tasteful he is and also just how seriously he takes his craft.. That 24k light ride has to be up there as one of the finest cymbals in creation.
A massive fan of this man i am, i just wish i could see more of him, there’s just not enough info about him on the web. Everyone should check out Mayer’s “Belief” on the “where the light is” dvd. I have never heard a more musical drum introduction to a song ever! Also check out the intro to “waiting on the world to change”.
Watching this guy play as a drumer is an education in every sense of the word.
Cheers
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