J. J. Johnson

James Louis Johnson AKA J.J. Johnson (born in Indianapolis, Indiana, January 22, 1924 - February 4, 2001) was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger.

Biography

Big Bands

After studying the piano since he was 9, Johnson decided to play trombone at the age of 14. In 1941, he started his professional career with Clarence Love, and then played with Snookum Russell in 1942. In Russell's band he met the trumpeter Fats Navarro, who influenced him to play in the style of the tenor saxophonist Lester Young. Johnson went on to play in Benny Carter's orchestra between 1942 and 1945, then in 1945 and 1946 he joined the big band of Count Basie, with whom he made his first recordings. In 1944, he took part in the Jazz at the Philharmonic tour, organized by Norman Granz.

Related Topics:
Clarence Love - Snookum Russell - 1942 - Trumpeter - Fats Navarro - Saxophonist - Lester Young - Benny Carter - 1945 - 1946 - Big band - Count Basie - 1944 - Jazz at the Philharmonic - Norman Granz

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Bebop

In 1946, he left Basie to play in small bebop bands along with, Max Roach, Illinois Jacquet, Sonny Stitt, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, Woody Herman and Dizzy Gillespie. His incredible accuracy at manipulating the slide trombone (sounding as if he was playing a valve instrument), contributed to the acceptance of the instrument in a genre where tempi were very fast. In 1951, he left with bassist Oscar Pettiford for a tour of the military camps of Japan and Korea. Recordings for Blue Note Records followed between 1951 and 1954, both as leader and with Miles Davis - Johnson's compositions Lament, Enigma and Kelo were recorded by Davis.

Related Topics:
1946 - Basie - Bebop - Max Roach - Illinois Jacquet - Sonny Stitt - Bud Powell - Charlie Parker - Woody Herman - Dizzy Gillespie - Tempi - 1951 - Oscar Pettiford - Japan - Korea - Blue Note Records - 1954 - Miles Davis

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Jay and Kai

In 1954 when producer Ozzie Cadena convinced him to set up a quintet with trombonist Kai Winding: the "Jay and Kai quintet". The sonority of the two musicians, although very different, blended so well that the pairing, which lasted till 1956, was a huge success both musically and commercially. The duo reunited again in 1960 and 1968. In between, Johnson played with small hard bop combos, including the groups of Sonny Rollins and Horace Silver, and contributed to Miles Davis's Quiet Nights as part of Gil Evans's orchestra.

Related Topics:
1954 - Ozzie Cadena - Kai Winding - 1956 - 1960 - 1968 - Hard bop - Sonny Rollins - Horace Silver - Quiet Nights - Gil Evans

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The composer

From the sixties, J.J. Johnson dedicated more and more time to composition, and also led various groups. In 1961, he composed for Dizzy Gillespie, Perception, a suite in six movements. He recorded numerous albums under his name, played again with Miles Davis in 1961, with Bobby Jaspar in 1964, and in the same year toured Japan and Europe with Sonny Stitt.

Related Topics:
Sixties - Composition - 1961 - Dizzy Gillespie - Miles Davis - Bobby Jaspar - 1964 - Japan - Europe - Sonny Stitt

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In 1970, Quincy Jones convinced Johnson to settle down in California to compose for cinema and television, writing scores for movies such as Cleopatra Jones and Top of the heap, as well as TV series such as Starsky & Hutch, Mike Hammer and The Six Million Dollar Man. During this period, he played almost no concerts, except in 1977 in Japan, in 1984 in Europe, an American tour ending at the Village Vanguard in 1987, and then in Paris in 1993.

Related Topics:
1970 - Quincy Jones - California - Cinema - Television - Cleopatra Jones - Top of the heap - TV series - Starsky & Hutch - Mike Hammer - The Six Million Dollar Man - 1977 - Japan - 1984 - Europe - Village Vanguard - 1987 - Paris - 1993

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Return to performing

Johnson returned to performing in the 1990s, recording one "comeback" album after another, at various stages in his battle with prostate cancer. His contracts with a variety of record labels, including Verve, Antilles, and Concord, resulted in almost a dozen records in the '90s, from small group club dates to large big-band and orchestra recordings. He earned several Grammy nominations during this period.

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On February 4, 2001, reportedly depressed over unsuccessful cancer treatment, he committed suicide.

Related Topics:
2001 - Cancer - Suicide

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