Curtis Johnson

Curtis Johnson teaches Introduction to Jazz at Slippery Rock University. He retired his position as Associate Professor of Music at West Virginia University after serving on faculty for twenty years. He received his Master of Music degree in saxophone performance from West Virginia University and his Bachelor of Music Degree from West Liberty State College.

Classically, Mr. Johnson has performed on numerous North American Saxophone Conference programs, World Saxophone Congress programs, and national Saxophone Symposium programs. He has performed as soloist with the West Virginia Symphony

Orchestra and worked as arranger and performer with the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra and substitute performer for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Johnson is one of the founding members of The Traverser Saxophone Quartet. This quartet gives numerous performances each year, sponsors the annual Traverser Saxophone Symposium, and completed a tour of Central Europe in Spring 2005.

Mr. Johnson is also a renowned R&B performer. He has performed for such performers as Ray Charles, Little Anthony, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, Isaac Hayes, Lou Rawls, The Spinners, B. J. Thomas, Tony Orlando and Dawn, Dionne Warwick, Martha Reeves, Cheryl Lynn, and numerous other stars. He is currently a member of the hugely popular Pittsburgh-based "No Bad JuJu" R & B band, which has released its second CD.

Mr. Johnson has been recorded on over 50 CDs including jazz, blues, rock, and R&B. He has also performed on, written, and produced numerous radio and television commercials, compact disc recordings, and film scores. In 1999, as Associate Artistic Director, The Real Silk Band released its first CD entitled Metamorphosis. The Real Silk Band was named the 1999 winner of the Harry S. Schwalb Award as Pittsburgh's best jazz band; the band also earned radio station WAMO’s award for best jazz performance in both 2000 and 2001. Mr. Johnson’s current jazz group, The Phoenix Jazz Project, recently completed a successful tour of central Europe.

Creative Music Solutions, an organization run by Mr. Johnson since 2001, has sponsored numerous tours to Europe with various performing groups since 2002 and began sponsoring High School and College Jazz Ensemble tours to Europe during the Summer 2006.

Mr. Johnson is an Artist/Clinician for the Yamaha Corporation of America Band and Orchestra division.