I just got the sad news that sax player/multi-instrumentalist Joel Johansen passed away over the weekend.
Joel was a fixture of the local music scene. I first met Joel at a session when he came in to play sax on the second Bill Dees record, “Castin’ My Spell”.
Through the years, playing these gigs, I have met some players that, in another line of work, might be called overqualified. These are musicians who have spent time practicing and developing skills and repertoire that aren’t part of a cover band, bar gig. Joel was one of those guys. I remember conversations with Joel when his eyes lit up as he spoke about Mozart, Coltrane or Howling Wolf. He always brought fire and intensity to the table on whatever the tune but, the few times that I heard him playing on stuff outside the regular fare, it was clear that that he had much more to offer.
R.I.P. Joel.
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