Normalology
(Koch Jazz KOC-CD-7884)

Normalology was originally released in 1997 on Eighth Day Records, a small label out of Chicago . At the time I didn't think that The Microscopic Septet would ever perform or record again, and I thought it a shame that these pieces would never be heard by any but the notorious "cult following" of the Micros.
So I assembled a group composed of the people I was then working with in my group, Big Trouble, and ex-Micros, and recorded some of them for this record.
Unfortunately, the record company went out of business almost as soon as the record came out, so, while it got some good reviews, the record virtually never saw the inside of a record store.
It was later re-released by Koch Jazz, but again went out-of-print when Donald Elfman was fired and the great Koch Jazz label was corporately-downsized by Koch Records.

  1. Normalology - (6:22)
  2. Got Lucky - (6:28)
  3. Dr Kickback Supreme - (5:39)
  4. Things Happens - (4:09)
  5. Lobster Leaps In - (4:30)
  6. Almost Right - (3:40)
  7. Spilled Perfume - (7:43)
  8. Life's Other Mystery - (6:20)
  9. God's Little Joke - (7:13)
  10. My Grey Heaven - (1:45)
  11. Twilight Time Zone - (5:14)
  12. Slave Labor - (2:15)
  13. No Mistakes In Hell - (5:01)

Phillip Johnston - soprano saxophone.
Allan Chase - alto saxophone.
Paul Shapiro - tenor saxophone.
Bob DeBellis - baritone saxophone.
Joe Ruddick - piano, organ.
David Hofstra - bass, tuba.
Richard Dworkin - drums.
Stew Cutler - electric guitar (1,3,8)

all music composed and arranged by Phillip Johnston
Recorded & Mixed April & May, 1996 at Tedesco Studios, NJ.
Record & mix engineer: Jon Rosenberg.
digital editing & sequencing by Butch Jones, at Back Pocket Studios
Produced by Phillip Johnston.
Executive Producer: Donald Elfman.
Executive Producer of original release: Andy Caploe
Painting/Concept/Design by Jeff Gilligan

"Saxophonist/composer Phillip Johnston's music embodies all that's good about jazz. It's honest, original, and inspired, above and beyond the typical. It's also some of the smartest and best-humored music to have found a home under the jazz banner."
- Chris Kelsey, Jazziz, Jan '98

"Fans of the long-gone Microscopic Septet will certainly be familiar with the jaunty tone and delightful ensemble playing of the latest solo outing by former Micro leader, Phillip JohnstonThe product of a charmingly peculiar mind, Normalology fits unsquarely in a playful jazz tradition that includes Monk,Raymond Scott and even a trace of the Crusaders."
- Derk Richardson, San Francisco Bay Guardian, Feb '98

"Readers familiar with soprano sax player Phillip Johnston's memorable music with the Microscopic Sextet and subsequent Big Trouble project can expect comparable charm and scope on "Normalology.""
- David Lewis, Cadence Magazine, November, 1997



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