GORHAM – He has played with Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Zappa, B.B. King, Hank Crawford, Archie Shepp, Buddy Rich, Freddie Hubbard, McCoy Tyner, Marvin Gaye, Quincy Jones, Paul Simon and John Lennon.

And Friday, Jan. 27, jazz tubist Howard Johnson will play as part of the University of Southern Maine’s Faculty Concert Series. Johnson has recorded two critically acclaimed albums with jazz guitarist Gary Wittner, a member of the artist faculty in the School of Music at USM. The two will be joined by Les Harris Jr. on drums for the concert, scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. in Corthell Concert Hall.

The program features music from both recordings as well as jazz standards, original compositions by Wittner, arrangements by Johnson, compositions by Thelonious Monk and traditional Blues Folk Americana.

Tickets are $15 for the general public, $10 for seniors and faculty/staff, and $5 for students. For tickets, call 780-5555.

Johnson and Wittner met by coincidence in 1998 at a restaurant in New York City. They were sitting at separate tables and Johnson, hearing Wittner and another musician talking, amiably joined in the conversation. This led to Johnson inviting Wittner to his apartment and, later, to a recording session with drummer Bruce Ditmas.

Since then, the two have recorded the two CDs and toured in New England and the Midwest.