John Gill is a multi-instrumentalist with wide-ranging musical tastes. However, he is best known as an authority on San Francisco Style Jazz and also as one of the most authentic performers in that idiom. He has studied the music for over 40 years, was the original curator of the San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation and produced CDs for the Foundation as well as GHB Records.
Among the bands he has led are John Gill’s San Francisco Jazz Band, the Minstrels of Annie Street and most recently the Yerba Buena Stompers—all of which have been dedicated to the music of Lu Watters and Turk Murphy.
(All recordings are CDs unless otherwise indicated)
Audex
AX 103 Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Band LP
Bainbridge
BCD 501 Turk Murphy Jazz Band “A Natural High”
Blue Goose
BG 2020 Gary Lawrence and his Sizzling Syncopators LP
BMG/Sony
BMG 750116 The Aviator (soundtrack, with Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks)
Compass Records
7446 2 Mick Moloney “McNally’s Row of Flats”
Dawson & Chambers
(no catalog number) Scott Anthony & John Gill LP
Fat Cat’s Jazz
FCJ 180 The Original Traditional Jazz Band in Concert at Manassas LP
GHB – Jazzology
BCD 280 Bay City Stompers “A Musical Tribute To Lu Watters”
BCD 289 Steve Pistorius Mahogany Hall Stompers “Tain’t No Sin”
BCD 295 John Gill’s San Francisco Jazz Band “Turk Murphy Style”
BCD 314 Lee Gunness Sings The Blues with Hal Smith’s Creole Sunshine Jazz Band
BCD 319 Sylvia Kuumba Williams from New Orleans
BCD 331 Jacques Gauthé and his Creole Rice Jazz Band Featuring Bob Helm “Yerba Buena Style”
BCD 347 Silver Leaf Jazz Band “New Orleans Wiggle”
BCD 491 Turk Murphy and his San Francisco Jazz Band “Ragged But Right” vol. 1
BCD 492 Turk Murphy and his San Francisco Jazz Band “Ragged But Right” vol. 2
BCD 518 Yerba Buena Stompers “Duff Campbell’s Revenge”
BCD 519 Yerba Buena Stompers “Take Us to the Land of Jazz”
BCD 526 Yerba Buena Stompers “The Gospel According to the Yerba Buena Stompers”
JCD 206 Bob Schulz and his Frisco Jazz Band
JCD 225 Ted des Plantes and his Louisiana Swingers “Ain’tcha Got Music?”
JCD 287 Charlie Fardella and his Sensation Jazz Band
JCD 339 Duke Heitger’s Krazy Kapers
Good Time Jazz
GTCD 4416 Good Time Jazz Story (with Silver Leaf Jazz Band)
GTCD 15001 – 2 Silver Leaf Jazz Band “Streets and Scenes of New Orleans”
GTCD 15002 – 2 Silver Leaf Jazz Band “Jelly’s Best Jam”
Jazz & Jazz
J&J 6357 903 Turk Murphy’s Jazz Band “Oz Turk” LP
J&J 6437 156 Turk Murphy’s Jazz Band/Original Salty Dogs “The Biggest Bear Stomp Of All” LP
Lake Records
Lake LACD 178 Turk Murphy’s San Francisco Jazz Band “Southern Stomps”
Merry Makers Record Co.
MMRC 114 Turk Murphy’s Jazz Band “San Francisco Jazz vol. 1” LP
MMRC 115 Turk Murphy’s Jazz Band “San Francisco Jazz vol. 2” LP
MMRC 116 Turk Murphy’s Jazz Band “San Francisco Memories” LP
MMRC SC 1001 Turk Murphy’s Jazz Band “Songs of Christmas” LP
MMRC CD 2 Turk Murphy’s Jazz Band “Sentimental Journeys”
MMRC CD 12 Turk Murphy’s Jazz Band “Concert in the Park”
MMRC CD 17 Turk Murphy’s Jazz Band “Live From the Rathskellar vol. 1”
MMRC CD 18 Turk Murphy’s Jazz Band “Live From the Rathskellar vol. 2”
Music Masters
MM CD 01612-65098-2 Eddy Davis, New York Jazz Ensemble “The Bunk Project”
Rounder Select
613158 Leon Redbone “Christmas Island”
Sonic Arts
Sonic Arts 14 Turk Murphy Jazz Band “A Natural High” LP 1
Stomp Off Records
Stomp Off SOS 1094 John Gill’s Original Sunset 5 LP “I Lost My Heart In Dixieland”
Stomp Off SOS 1126 John Gill’s Original Sunset 5 vol. 2 “Down Home Blues” LP
Stomp Off SOS 1156 Johnny Gill’s California Sunshine Boys vol. 1 “Some Sweet Day” LP
Stomp Off SOS 1157 John Gill’s California Sunshine Boys vol. 2 “Big City Blues” LP
Stomp Off SOS 1161 Turk Murphy’s Jazz Band “Southern Stomps” LP 2
Stomp Off SOS 1201 Terry Waldo’s Gotham City Band “Footlight Varieties”
Stomp Off SOS 1223 New Orleans Classic Jazz Orchestra “Blowin’ Off Steam”
Stomp Off SOS 1227 John Gill’s Novelty Orchestra of New Orleans vol. 1 “Smile, Darn Ya, Smile”
Stomp Off SOS 1235 Chris Tyle’s New Orleans Rover Boys “A Tribute to Benny Strickler”
Stomp Off SOS 1258 Chris Tyle’s Silver Leaf Jazz Band vol. 1 “The Smiler”
Stomp Off SOS 1260 Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks “Quality Shout”
Stomp Off SOS 1264 Down Home Five “Strut, Miss Lizzie”
Stomp Off SOS 1270 John Gill’s Novelty Orchestra of New Orleans vol. 2 “Headin’ For Better Times”
Stomp Off SOS 1272 Minstrels Of Annie Street “Original Tuxedo Rag”
Stomp Off SOS 1295 John Gill’s Dixieland Serenaders vol. 1 “I’m Looking For A Little Bluebird”
Stomp Off SOS 1298 Chris Tyle’s Silver Leaf Jazz Band vol. 2 “Sugar Blues”
Stomp Off SOS 1300 Down Home Jazz Band vol. 8 “Dancin’ The Jellyroll”
Stomp Off SOS 1304 John Gill’s Dixieland Serenaders vol. 2 “Take Me To That Midnight Cakewalk Ball”
Stomp Off SOS 1315 Bob Schulz’s Frisco Jazz Band “Travelin’ Shoes”
Stomp Off SOS 1316 Down Home Jazz Band vol. 9 “Paddle Wheelin’ Along”
Stomp Off SOS 1321 John Gill’s Dixieland Serenaders vol. 3 “Listen To That Dixie Band”
Stomp Off SOS 1325 Ted des Plantes’ Washboard Wizards “Shim Sham Shimmy Dance”
Stomp Off SOS 1331 “Bob Helm & Miss Carol Leigh Blues & Jazz Review, Act I”
Stomp Off SOS 1332 “Bob Helm & Miss Carol Leigh Blues & Jazz Review, Act II”
Stomp Off SOS 1351 Imperial Serenaders “Music of the Bolden Era”
Stomp Off SOS 1367 Duke Heitger’s Big Four “Prince Of Wails”
Stomp Off SOS 1369 Yerba Buena Stompers vol. 1 “Dawn Club Favorites”
Stomp Off SOS 1375 Yerba Buena Stompers vol. 2 “Barbary Coast Favorites”
Stomp Off SOS 1380 Dan Levinson’s Roof Garden Orchestra “Echoes in the Wax”
Stomp Off SOS 1381 Yerba Buena Stompers vol. 3 “New Orleans Favorites”
Stomp Off SOS 1393 Barbara Rosene “Everything’s Made For Love”
Stomp Off SOS 1400 Dan Levinson’s Canary Cottage Orchestra “Crinoline Days”
Stomp Off SOS 1401 John Gill’s Jazz Kings “I Must Have It”
Stomp Off SOS 1402 Manhattan Ragtime Orchestra vol. 1 “At The Jazz Band Ball”
Stomp Off SOS 1405 Barbara Rosene “Moon Song”
Stomp Off SOS 1406 Yerba Buena Stompers vol. 4 “San Francisco Bay Blues”
Stomp Off SOS 1409 Ted des Plantes’ Washboard Wizards “Thumpin’ and Bumpin’”
Stomp Off SOS 1418 Yerba Buena Stompers vol. 5 “Yama Yama Man”
Stomp Off SOS 1419 Manhattan Ragtime Orchestra vol. 2 “Euphonic Sounds”
Stomp Off SOS 1421 Ted des Plantes’ Washboard Wizards “Feelin’ Good”
Stomp Off SOS 1426 Delta Stompers “Do What Ory Say”
Sugar Hill/Rounder
SHCD 3761 Leon Redbone “No Regrets”
Swing Out
Swing Out CD 1004 Banu Gibson “You Don’t Know My Mind”
Trad Jazz Productions
TJP 20 Turk Murphy’s Jazz Band “Live at Earthquake McGoon’s, vol. 1”
TJP 21 Turk Murphy’s Jazz Band “Live at Earthquake McGoon’s, vol. 2”
Triangle/Rhythm Masters
TRM 119CD Ray Skjelbred and his Monogram Boys “Wild and Wooly”
Notes:
1 = Reissued on CD (Bainbridge BCD 501)
2 = Reissued on CD (Lake Records LACD 178)
John Gill is also seen and heard onscreen with Woody Allen’s New Orleans Jazz Band in the film “Wild Man Blues” and may be heard on numerous broadcasts of the Turk Murphy Jazz Band from the 1980s which were sponsored by See’s Candies. Some of these broadcasts are available for listening through the Charles N. Huggins Project – San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation Collection.
Joe Bebco is the Associate Editor of The Syncopated Times and Webmaster of SyncopatedTimes.com
