Gus Johnson played drums with Jay McShann, Earl Hines, Cootie Williams, Count Basie, Woody Herman, Ella Fitzgerald, and the World's Greatest Jazz Band.
Budd (Albert) Johnson played tenor, soprano, and alto saxophone, as well as clarinet. Johnson played and arranged for Louis Armstrong, Earl Hines, Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Eckstine, Benny Goodman, Gil Evans, and Count Basie.
Most of the things were done from the musicians in action, on the move; during rest periods I had my chance to do the more relaxed portraits. I found the medium of tempera and pencil excellent for capturing a mood that would be gone in a short span of time. The portraits in most cases . . . took thirty minutes or less. -- John Falter

Gus Johnson
John Falter
pencil and tempera paint on colored paper, 1971
Donor: John P. Falter Collection
10,645-3602

Budd Johnson
John Falter
tempera and pencil on colored paper
Donor: John P. Falter Collection
10,645-3601

Budd Johnson and Gus Johnson
John Falter
lithograph, from the "Jazz from Life" series, 1971
For the "Jazz from Life" portfolio Falter combined his two portraits drawn from life into one composition. The head positions are reversed from the original drawings.
Donor: Cliff's Notes, Inc.
10704-15