J. J. Johnson (January 22, 1924 – February 4, 2001), born James Louis Johnson and also called Jay Jay Johnson, was an American jazz musician who played the trombone, wrote music, and arranged musical pieces. Johnson was among the first trombonists to adopt the bebop style of jazz.

Biography

Johnson began studying the piano when he was 9 years old. At 14, he decided to play the trombone. In 1941, he started his professional career with a musician named Clarence Love. In 1942, he played with another musician, Snookum Russell. While working with Russell’s band, Johnson met a trumpeter named Fats Navarro, who taught him to play in the style of a tenor saxophonist named Lester Young. Between 1942 and 1945, Johnson played in Benny Carter’s orchestra. In 1943, he made his first recordings under Carter’s leadership, including his first solo on a song called “Love for Sale.” In 1944, he performed at the first Jazz at the Philharmonic concert in Los Angeles, organized by Norman Granz. In 1945, Johnson joined the big band of Count Basie, touring and recording with him until 1946.

The trombone was often used in dixieland and swing music but was less common in bebop because instruments like the trumpet and saxophone were seen as better for bebop’s fast tempos and technical demands. In 1946, bebop co-founder Dizzy Gillespie encouraged Johnson: “I’ve always known that the trombone could be played differently. Man, you’re elected.”

After leaving Basie in 1946, Johnson played in small bebop bands in New York clubs. In 1947, he toured with a musician named Illinois Jacquet. During this time, he also recorded as a leader with musicians like Max Roach, Sonny Stitt, and Bud Powell. He performed with Charlie Parker in a recording session in December 1947, after Parker left a mental hospital.

In 1951, Johnson toured military camps in Japan and Korea with bassist Oscar Pettiford and trumpeter Howard McGhee. He later worked as a blueprint inspector in the United States. His Blue Note recordings, both as a leader and with Miles Davis, began during this time. Johnson’s songs “Enigma” and “Kelo” were recorded by Davis. Johnson also helped record the jazz standard “Walkin’” in 1954, which became the title track of a Davis album.

In 1954, a producer named Ozzie Cadena, working with Savoy Records, asked Johnson to form a group with trombonist Kai Winding called the “Jay and Kai Quintet.” Their different styles blended well, and the group was successful from 1954 until 1956. They toured nightclubs, recorded albums, and reunited in 1958 for a UK tour and a 1960 album. They also performed together in 1968–1969. In 1967, Johnson and Winding joined other musicians to back Sarah Vaughan on her final Mercury Records sessions. Johnson arranged some of the songs, including Billy Strayhorn’s “Take the ‘A’ Train.” The duo also performed in Japan in the early 1980s, with their last performance shortly before Winding’s death in 1983.

After working with Winding, Johnson led his own touring groups from the mid-1950s to the early 1960s. These groups included musicians like Bobby Jaspar, Clifford Jordan, Nat Adderley, Freddie Hubbard, Tommy Flanagan, Cedar Walton, Elvin Jones, Albert “Tootie” Heath, and Max Roach. In 1957, he recorded albums called First Place and Blue Trombone with Flanagan, Paul Chambers, and Roach. He also toured with the Jazz at the Philharmonic show in 1957 and 1960, with the 1957 tour producing a live album featuring Johnson and Stan Getz. In 1958–1959, Johnson helped end the cabaret card system through a court case.

During this time, Johnson began exploring Third Stream music, which combines classical and jazz elements. He balanced writing and recording with tours. In 1962, he toured with Miles Davis’ sextet. His 1963 album J. J.’s Broadway showed his mature trombone style and arranging skills. His 1964 album Proof Positive was his last recording with his working band for over 20 years. From 1965 onward, Johnson recorded large group albums featuring his own compositions. In the late 1960s, he focused more on big band-style recordings, often backing soloists.

From the mid-1950s onward, Johnson spent more time composing. He became part of the Third Stream movement, which included musicians like Gunther Schuller and John Lewis. He wrote works like Poem for Brass and Perceptions, with Dizzy Gillespie as a soloist. His music was performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival and the First International Jazz Festival in Washington, D.C. In 1965, he performed and recorded Euro Suite in Vienna with a jazz-classical fusion orchestra. In 1968, he composed a piece called Diversions for the American Wind Symphony.

In the 1970s, Johnson moved to California to work in film and television. He played few concerts, except in 1977, 1982, and 1984. He recorded six albums as a leader and some as a sideman, including two with Basie and a soundtrack for The Sting II. He also played in Sammy Davis Jr.’s Cocoanut Grove orchestra and Carol Burnett’s TV orchestra.

In 1987, Johnson returned to performing with a gig at New York’s Village Vanguard. Tours in the U.S., Europe, and Japan followed, and he recorded two albums during a 1988 return to the Vanguard.

In December 1988, Johnson learned his wife, Vivian, had suffered a severe stroke. He stopped working to care for her until her death in 1991. He dedicated an album to her on Concord Records.

In 1992, Johnson married his second wife, Carolyn Reid, and began performing again. He recorded five albums with labels like Verve and Antilles, featuring small groups, brass orchestras, and string orchestras. He also performed with his student, trombonist Steve Turre, and vocalist Abbey Lincoln.

Influence

In the 1940s and 1950s, Johnson showed that the slide trombone could be played in the bebop style. Trombonist Steve Turre explained, "J. J. did for the trombone what Charlie Parker did for the saxophone. Many musicians today would not play the way they do without his influence. He was the greatest trombone player of the 20th century and also one of the best composers and arrangers."

Several of Johnson's songs, such as "Wee Dot," "Lament," and "Enigma," are now considered jazz standards.

From the mid-1950s onward, Johnson was often named in polls as a top jazz musician, even winning "Trombonist of the Year" in DownBeat magazine during years when he was not actively performing. In 1995, he was inducted into the DownBeat Hall of Fame.