Alphonso Johnson-Yesterday´s Dreams (1976)

Alphonso Johnson was considered one of the best jazz bassists of the 1970s and 80s. His brief stint with the legendary Weather Report and his collaborations with prestigious artists such as Chuck Mangione, Chet Baker, Horace Silver, Billy Cobham, Carlos Santana, and Phil Collins greatly boosted his popularity. In the mid-1970s, Johnson recorded his only three solo albums, of which his second, "Yesterday's Dreams", is undoubtedly his greatest artistic achievement. For this recording, he enlisted a number of accomplished musicians, including vibraphonist Ruth Underwood, guitarists Lee Ritenour and Ray Gomez, drummer Chester Thompson, saxophonists Grover Washington Jr. and Ernie Watts, keyboardists David Foster and Ian Underwood, and singer Phillip Bailey. Considered one of the most solid jazz-rock albums of the seventies, its grooves range from funk jazz instrumentals like "As Little As You" and "One To One", to vigorous jazz rock like "Balls to the Wall", passing through progressive jazz exercises like "Flight To Hampstead Heath" or concessions to jazz-pop fusion with the catchy "Love's The Way I Feel 'Bout Cha". In 2004, Johnson was appointed professor at the University of Southern California, lecturing throughout North America, Europe, and Japan, alternating this role with his professional career, collaborating with various musicians such as Bob Weir and the Grateful Dead cover band, Jazz is Dead.