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Track Listing

All songs composed and arranged by Kris Johnson except “What a Wonderful World” by Weiss & Thiele, arr. Johnson

Recorded on January 27, 2008 and April 1, 2008 at ElPop Recording Studio (Eaton Rapids, MI)
Mixed, and mastered on April 4, 2008 at ElPop Recording Studio (Eaton Rapids, MI) by Kevin Popel and Kris Johnson. 


The Concept
Ex –o - dus [ek-suh-duhs]:

This recording captures the Kris Johnson Sextet one and half years into our musical journey together.  “Exodus” has a double meaning in that it represents our growth and movement into new musical directions, and for several of us it also marks the closing of our time spent in the Jazz Studies program at Michigan State University.  Some of us will be relocating to different areas and gaining new musical experiences and a few are still completing their collegiate education in Lansing.  However, each of us will take the beautiful experiences (both musical and personal) we’ve gained from our journey together and I have no doubt we will always remain close friends. 


The Band
Each individual in this band brings something to the table that no one else could contribute.  The energy and companionship of our ensemble has brought great joy into my life and I don’t believe it could have been what it has become without each of these particular musicians’ involvement.  I have chosen each of them for their beautiful spirits and musicality and I love each of them dearly.

Lynn Grunewald and I came to MSU at the same time for undergrad in 2001.  Although we came from much different backgrounds we both shared some common ground: neither of us could swing to save our lives but we both wanted to be able to play jazz more than anything in the world.  We spent countless hours over the years practicing until very late hours desperately trying to learn this music.  Between our endless practice sessions, playing in MSU jazz ensembles together, gigging all over Michigan, and taking nearly every undergrad music course together, I can safely say that Lynn and I grew up together during the most crucial times in our musical development.  “Sister Swing”, as we call her, is the co-founder of the group and is always ready to play some blues, and deal with the music until it sounds perfect. 

Jim Holden first caught my attention when he took my jazz improvisation course during my first year as a Graduate Assistant.  You could give Jim a nursery rhyme and he would make it sound soulful and pretty on his tenor sax.  Most students would come in playing their scales and chords as unenthusiastically as a student reciting their timetables in grade school.  Jim on the other hand would put every bit of feeling and swing he could on every note and I knew then I had to have him in the group I was forming.  Phrasing with Jim and Lynn is like phrasing with myself playing a trumpet, tenor, and alto at the same time.  Achieving a vibe and playing with that type of blend is exactly how I want my music to be played.

Ross Margitza comes from a very musical family with a long line of great pianists.  I originally met Ross when he was a senior in high school playing trumpet with the Detroit Symphony’s Civic Jazz Orchestra.  I had known him for a few months before I heard him play piano and I was absolutely blown away.  The next year he enrolled at MSU and I immediately began hiring him for all of my gigs.  When Lynn and I decided to form a sextet that next summer there was no question about who was going to fill the piano chair.  A huge (maybe the hugest) Oscar Peterson fan, Ross brings a high level of virtuosic, bluesy, swingin’ chops that are a perfect fit for the group.  He is also one heck of a trumpet player with a sound reminiscent of Lee Morgan.

Kathleen Murray is our bassist and has been with us the shortest amount of time. Andrew Klein (who’s been like a brother to me since high school) was our bassist until the fall of 2007 when he moved to New York to begin his studies at the prestigious Julliard School.  We knew that filling his chair was going to be tough and that whoever took the book was going to have to get a lot of sound out of the double bass.  The only logical candidate I saw fitting was Kathleen.  She was also a student in my improvisation course and her sound always impressed me.  During her freshman year she was working really hard to deal with her intonation and time, and by the beginning of her sophomore year when she played her first gig with us all of her hard work was apparent.  The bass is such an essential foundation for jazz and she pulls the living daylights out of those strings.  She has acquired a tasteful ability to fill the rests in everyone’s solos with just the right syncopation and harmony needed for that moment.  With a sound as pretty as her’s she can really create some sensitive moments but don’t let her fool you; she can also put some serious grease on some swing.

Ryan Ptasnik seemed to come out of nowhere bringing strong ambition and a desire to learn.  Honestly the first time I heard Ryan I didn’t pay much attention to him.  Then almost a year later I heard him take this beautiful, thoughtful, and melodic drum solo at a jam session that blew me away.  He still had a lot of growing to do then, but that solo was enough to convince me that he was going to be great.  Lynn and I decided to give him a shot at developing his chops by playing with the sextet and it’s one of the best decisions we ever made.  It took about two gigs for him to let loose and really start diggin’ in.  During our first show at Detroit’s legendary Baker’s Keyboard Lounge everything started to lock up.  It seemed like I had made a lifelong friend (on and off the stage) overnight and there was enough communication to make one think we had been playing together for years when it had only been weeks.  In the summer of 2007 the band, my wife, and I all got the chance to visit his hometown of Pinedale, WY.  Meeting his family made it clear where he got his beautiful energy and hospitality from.  It was a great experience for all of us.  My grandmother loves Ryan, which is always a sign that someone has great character.

Nicole Mathews had the most interesting entry into the group when she sung a few songs with us during our Wyoming tour.  She had originally come to spend time with her boyfriend Ross and he mentioned to me that she was a good vocalist.  After I heard her sing “What a Difference a Day Makes” I knew I had to write some arrangements for her to sing with the group more officially.  A devotee of Ella Fitzgerald, Nicole can not only carry a beautiful ballad but knows a dozen of Ella’s famous scat solos over tunes like “How High the Moon”.  I gave her my arrangement of “What a Wonderful World” and though she had never sung the song before, she was able to perform it the next day.  After that I decided to test my lyric writing chops on two originals featuring her on this album.  A beautiful voice with the personality to match, it is always a pleasure to hear what Nicole is able to do with the material I give her.


The Music
The compositions featured on this album feature my writing from the time I first started college to the time right after I completed my Master’s.  I wrote our first selection during my freshman year at MSU.  I borrowed from several bebop blues melodies (can you name them?) and combined them into one continuous melody and named it “Blues Collision”. 

“When First She Kissed Me” began as a composition assignment given to me by Rodney Whitaker.  He wanted me to write a bebop melody with lyrics over alternate changes to “There Will Never Be Another You” in the style of Jon Hendricks or Eddie Jefferson.  The result was a melody I thought was pretty hip and some lyrics that have remained unused.

“Rheta’s Song” is a dedication to my Great Grandmother Rheta Collins.  She is a beautiful and inspiring woman who has taught me so much over the years.  I was visiting her and my grandmother one day and as I sat there watching her talk with my friend Jason the opening notes of the melody just popped in my head.  I wrote the opening portion of the melody and harmony right there with her in the room totally oblivious that I was writing a song for her.  I knew it was meant to be because when I stopped she said, “that was a pretty song don’t stop playing”; I didn’t even know she was listening.

One of my favorite albums is by Harry “Sweets” Edison and Ben Webster. There was no title track on the album so I decided to write a tune dedicated to this great record and called it “Ben and Sweets”. 

“Haylie Baylie” is a dedication to the best dog that’s ever lived.  Haylie is my American Staffordshire Terrier and possesses more personality than any other animal I’ve encountered.

In 2007 I received a card in the mail from a woman named Dorothy Brooks whom I had never met.  She attended the premiere performance of my jazz oratorio “Jim Crow’s Tears” and gave me encouragement that I’ll never forget.  In our correspondence she would often encourage me to pursue every avenue possible to get more exposure for my music and would often use the phrase “Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained”.  I am still inspired by her words and modeled the lyrics of this song off of the words she said to me.

The title track of the album, “Exodus”, was the final composition written for this record.  It is a reflection of my struggles and triumphs over my six-year journey in college and my transition into post–collegiate life.  I was really inspired to write a through–composed piece after working with my former student and good friend Anthony Stanco on arranging a beautiful song he had just composed.  I really enjoyed the compositional process for this song and like the title suggests I suspect that more of my writing will head in this direction.  Thanks little brother.

“My Apologies” was written for my wife Vanessa (long before she was my wife) in 2003.  I was in the doghouse for something I did and poured out my sincerest apologies in this song.  She forgave me and now that’s pretty much all either one of us remembers about what happened.  This song was the winner of the instrumental category for the Great American Song Contest in 2006 and is still one my favorite compositions the play.

I love to take familiar material and put my own stamp on it.  I have always been a huge fan of Louis Armstrong and of the song “What a Wonderful World”. This is my modern interpretation of this jazz classic.


Thank You’s
God, my beautiful and supporting wife, my parents and entire family, to all the musicians on this project, my manager Yvonne, Grandma “always the first investor” Bobby, the MSU Professors of Jazz (my mentors for six years), ElPop Recoring Studio, MoStudios Art and Design, everyone who faithfully attends my concerts, and to you for purchasing this CD!