Artist: Johnny Hodges

Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges  was an American  alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. Along with Benny Carter, Hodges is considered to be one of the definitive alto saxophone players of the big band era. 

After beginning his career as a teenager in Boston, Hodges traveled to New York and played with Lloyd Scott, Sidney Bechet, Luckey Roberts and Chick Webb. When Ellington wanted to expand his band in 1928, Ellington's clarinet player Barney Bigard  recommended Hodges. From 1951 to 1955, Hodges left the Duke to lead his own band, but returned shortly before Ellington's triumphant return to prominence – the orchestra's performance at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival. 

Hodges built a name for himself in the Boston area before moving to New York City in 1924. Hodges joined Duke Ellington's orchestra in November 1928. He was one of the prominent Ellington Band members who featured in Benny Goodman's 1938 Carnegie Hall concert. Goodman described Hodges as "by far the greatest man on alto sax that I ever heard."  Charlie Parker called him "the Lily Pons of his instrument." John Coltrane  considered Hodges his first model on the saxophone, even calling him “the world's greatest saxophone player.” 

Ellington's practice of writing tunes specifically for members of his orchestra resulted in the Hodges specialties, "Confab with Rab", "Jeep's Blues", "Sultry Sunset", and "Hodge Podge". Other songs recorded by the Ellington Orchestra which prominently feature Hodges's smooth alto saxophone sound are "Magenta Haze", "Prelude to a Kiss", "Haupe" (from Anatomy of a Murder) – also notable are the "seductive" and hip-swaying "Flirtibird", featuring the "irresistibly salacious tremor" by Hodges, "The Star-Crossed Lovers" from Ellington's Such Sweet Thunder suite, "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)", "Blood Count" and "Passion Flower". 

Further information about Johnny Hodges is found here and here.