Interview: MATT JOHNSON of SWINGIN' THE DISNEY SONG BOOK! at CAMPUS JAX NEWPORT BEACH

Drummer, author and music educator Matt Johnson, lauded as  “a hurricane on sticks!” (the Los Angeles Times) is equally versed in all forms of jazz, pop and world drumming styles and has performed with a range of entertainers, from singers Julie Andrews and Andy Williams and Surf-rock pioneers Jan and Dean to big band legends Billy May and Les Brown.

Matt is the leader of The New Jet Set and is the drummer and host of its live concert experience, Swingin’ The Disney Songbook!

Since 2014, he has toured annually with A Swingin’ Little Christmas! staring Golden Globe- and Emmy Award-winning actress’ Jane Lynch (Glee, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Hollywood Game Night, The Weakest Link) and Kate Flannery (The Office, Dancing With The Stars).

Matt,  whose playing displays “captivating technique and creativity" (Modern Drummer Magazine), is also a gifted teacher. Since 1993, he has worked to inspire the next generation of drummers as Professor of Drum Set Studies at Fullerton College, in Fullerton, CA. He is the author of the popular play-along textbook series for jazz drummers, Big Band Loops Volume 1 & 2. For more than 30 years, his private students have consistently earned the top drum set chairs in California’s All-Southern and All-State Jazz Bands.

A veteran of the Squires and Velvet Knights Drum and Bugle Corps, Matt was a full-time musician at the Disneyland Resort from 1979 to 1990 and continues to appear regularly in shows, in and around the Resort. As a freelance musician, he has been a part of a number of exceptionally creative ensembles, among them the critically acclaimed Palm Springs Yacht Club, a musical comedy quartet delivering hot jazz from the 20s and 30s, and contemporary jazz organ trio, 2+1B3. In collaboration with renowned composer and arranger Tom Kubis, he co-created and lead the nine-piece early-jazz show band, Swing Savant, described by the Los Angeles Times as “the Casa Loma Orchestra on acid.”

Full disclousre: Johnson is an artist/clinician for Mapex Drums, Paiste Cymbals, Aquarian Drumheads, Roland US and Vic Firth Drumsticks.

Matt sat down with Broadway World Los Angeles to give us the downbeat to his formidable career in live music:

What is the star sign you were born under, and in which town were you born?

I’m a Sagittarius born in the City of Orange, CA.

 
What is your earliest memory of attending a live performance, and who were you with?

I think my earliest live performance memory might be of being with my family at an old-timey pizza joint to watch my dad play with his Dixieland band. I may have been younger than school-age. That night really made an impression on me. Beyond the powerful image of seeing my father at the drums, during the band’s set, they’d project silent Keystone Cops movies on the wall. I was mesmerized by the whole experience.

How supportive were your parents of your artistic talents during your formative years?

I can’t think of one way in which they could have been more supportive, encouraging and loving.

Are you self-taught, classically trained, or a combination of both?

It’s about a 90-10 split on self-taught vs classically trained. My father was an amateur drummer and my older brothers played the drums in jr. high and high school bands. So I did a lot of observing and intuitive learning. My parents gave me a drum for my 5th Christmas, and I remember that I could immediately play my older brother’s school drum cadences from memory. At age 10, I joined the local Drum & Bugle Corps and got my first “formal” training and never looked back. I played in the marching and jazz band through high school and didn’t have a private lesson until college.

What was your first paid gig as a live performer, and what was the rate?

I was still in high school when I joined a local soul band called De nada. I think I may have made $40 or $50 a night. Which was a lot, at the time.

How important is a song list to a live cabaret performance?

I feel a well thought out set list is paramount to the success of any performance. That isn’t to say that you can’t deviate from your game plan. In fact, it might be a necessity, depending on how your audience is responding. But without a set list to fall back on, a show can go off the rails for a million unexpected reasons.

How do you feel about performing with augmented tracks versus a live band or orchestra?

Well, as a drummer, they are definitely two different performance experiences. But I don’t mind playing to a click (electronic metronome) if it’s required for the job. It’s a skill I learned many years ago playing shows at Disneyland. Since then, with the advent of digital editing technology, most recording sessions are recorded to a click anyway. So being able to play along with a click track or pre-recorded program is an important skill that every working musician should have.

What are some of the perks of being a drummer for the show bands at Disneyland?

Disneyland has always been the high bar for live entertainment. I grew up just minutes from the Park and loved going there as a kid. I use to imagine myself playing drums in every band I saw. So getting hired there right out of college was a dream come true. My first few seasons at the Park were like going to entertainment grad school. My artistic growth as well as my own personal growth was considerable. Over the years, I’ve gotten to work with some of the most talented, creative, smart and genuinely funny people I’ve ever known. Beyond my many performance opportunities in a range of atmospheric bands, stage shows and innumerable special events at Disneyland, I’ve occasionally been invited to participate in new show workshops, which are some of the most creative and enjoyable experiences I’ve had. Through those creative collaborations, I’ve learned how a show concept is brought to life by leading writers, musicians, show directors, music directors, choreographers, set designers, costumers and myriad supporting production cast members. Those experiences have also helped me to envision and produce my own personal projects, like The New Jet Set. But the best Disney “perk” of all is, when I’m playing and get to see the happy faces and hear the kind words of Park guests who’ve travel from all over the world. Which is why, whether I’m performing at Disneyland or any other venue, I’m always aware of how fortunate I am to have a job that brings joy to others. I’ll never take that for granted.

  
You currently back up stellar Jane Lynch on her U.S. songbook tour alongside Kate Flannery of The OFFICE and singer/arranger Tim Davis. How did this collaboration come together, and what has it been like to perform for sold-out audiences with such a notable group?

Working with Jane, Kate and Tim has been a career high point for me. Jane and Kate have been friends since they first met in the ‘80s. We all got together when their TV shows, Glee and The Office, were cancelled at the same time. At Tim’s recommendation, Jane hired Tony Guerrero to be her music director for a live cabaret act she was building with Kate. Tony and I had been collaborating since 2000, so he invited me and three of our other bandmates to join the show. And the rest is history. We’ve just begun our 11th year touring the country together, and it’s been nothing but a lovefest of performance, mutual admiration and laughs.

You have toured across the U.S., but what are some of your favorite Los Angeles venues, and where would you like to book a gig in the future?

Herb Alpert’s Vibrato Grill is probably at the top of my list of favorite LA jazz spots. Campus Jax (although in Newport Beach, not L.A.) is also right up there. Both rooms are set up to maximize the listening experience and people who go there are expecting to see a show. As far as future venues go, the Blue Note Tokyo  and the North Sea Jazz Festival are on my short list.

Swingin’ The Disney Songbook! is a multi-media enhanced presentation of memorable Disney favorites reimagined through the lens of classic American jazz. Featured songs come from some of Disney’s most beloved animated films, including 101 Dalmatians, Aladdin, Alice in Wonderland, Aristocats, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Coco, Dumbo, Jungle Book, Lady and the Tramp, The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Toy Story, and Winnie the Pooh.

Joining Johnson and his virtuosic ensemble for this engaging musical experience is special guest Crystal Lewis, a three-time Grammy-nominated vocalist and four-time Gospel Music Association Dove Award recipient. Johnson, the show’s amiable host, has been a Disneyland Cast Member since 1979.

For this delightful and sentimental musical adventure through the decades, Johnson takes the audience on a journey well beyond the band’s masterful musical performance, providing fascinating behind-the-scenes background on the unforgettable songs that have become the heart and soul of classic Disney movies.  

The imaginatively reworked musical arrangements created by Music Director/Pianist Chris Barron feature plenty of improvisational interplay. In addition to Johnson and Barron, The New Jet Set features guitarist Miles Jensen and bassist David Miller.  Please join Mat and the New Jet Set for an evening for some of the happiest songs on earth! 

(https://www.thenewjetset.net/)

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