Jj johnson trombone biography definition

Trombonist, composer, bandleader

Early Professional Start

Definitive Trendsetter

Made Priority of Own Work

Stayed Focused on Music

Selected discography

Sources

Considered by many as the finest jazz trombonist of all time, J.J. Johnson was a visionary force on his instrument. His developments for the bebop and improvised style on trombone placed him on a par with Charlie Parker on alto saxophone and Jimi Hendrix on the electric guitar. J.J. elevated the trombone to a higher status, said trombonist Curtis Fuller, according to Down Beat magazine writer John Murph. As a jazz soloist, you had your Trummy Youngs and your Dicky Wells, but in the vernacular of bebop, he was the trombonist for that language. J.J. was a genius; he was no fly-by-night sensation. He was the man for all seasons, and I was drawn to that. After battling cancer and a muscular-skeletal disorder, Johnson took his own life on February 4, He left behind a legacy of groundbreaking work, with his own groups and recordings with Kai Winding, as well as on the recordings of Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Illinois Jacquet, Sonny Rollins, Ellla Fitzgerald, and others.

Born James Louis Johnson on January 22, , in Indianapolis, Indiana, the future trombonist began his musical studies on the piano, taking lessons at a local church. During his early teens, concurrent with his discovery of jazz, Johnson switched his focus to the saxophone. In high school, however, Johnson was only able to obtain a baritone saxophone, and because he could not make the instrument resemble the caressing tones of his childhood idol, saxophonist Lester Young, the young musician switched to the trombone.

Early Professional Start

Johnson graduated in , but instead of continuing on to college, he opted to turn professional right out of high school. Leaving Indianapolis, the trombonist found work immediately in Midwestern bands led by Clarence Love and Snookum Ru

Johnson, J. J. (James Louis), influential jazz trombonist, composer; b. Indianapolis, Ind., Jan. 22, His speed and facility were so surprising that from on he was suspected of playing a valve rather than a slide trombone. He influenced several generations of players, including Robin Eubanks and Conrad Herwig. His early solos are filled with impressive runs that often get repeated from take to take; by the late s his solos were moving and structured organically (one idea leading to the next) rather than from predetermined licks.

Johnson began to play the piano at the age of nine with a church organist and the trombone at His original influences were Lester Young, Roy Eldridge, and Fred Beckett. He toured with Clarence Love and Isaac “Snookum”Russell (; the latter with Fats Navarro) before attracting attention and making his first recordings and broadcasts as a member of Benny Carter’s Orch. (–15), and an appearance with the band in “As Thousands Cheer.” He also soloed at length on the first Jazz at the Philharmonic concert in After working with Count Basie (–46), he settled in N.Y. and did stints with various artists, notably Charlie Parker, with whom he recorded in December During this time period Parker and Gillespie had a great influence on him; he also began using a felt hat as a mute. He toured and recorded with Illinois Jacquet (–49). He toured Korea, Japan, and the South Pacific with a group led by Oscar Pettiford for the USO (). He temporarily left performing due to problems with drugs and worked as a blueprint inspector from August May During this period he recorded important sessions with Miles Davis and Clifford Brown, and as a leader, but declined gigs with Davis so as to hold onto his job. In , he resumed his career, recording a much admired solo on “Walkin” with Davis and touring with Kai Winding in a group known as Jay and Kai; then formed his own quintet (–60), with which he toured Europe. In the later s, he became a

The Book and Its Authors

American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger (–)

For other people named J. J. Johnson, see J. J. Johnson (disambiguation).

Musical artist

J.&#;J. Johnson (January 22, – February 4, ), born James Louis Johnson and also known as Jay Jay Johnson, was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger.

Johnson was one of the earliest trombonists to embrace bebop.

Biography

Big bands

After studying the piano beginning at age 9, Johnson decided to play trombone at the age of In , he began his professional career with Clarence Love, and then played with Snookum Russell in In Russell's band, he met the trumpeterFats Navarro, who influenced him to play in the style of the tenor saxophonistLester Young. Johnson played in Benny Carter's orchestra between and , and made his first recordings in under Carter's leadership, recording his first solo (on "Love for Sale") in October In , he took part in the first Jazz at the Philharmonic concert, presented in Los Angeles and organized by Norman Granz. In , he joined the big band of Count Basie, touring and recording with him until

Bebop

While the trombone was featured prominently in dixieland and swing music, it fell out of favor among bebop musicians, largely because instruments with valves and keys (trumpet, saxophone) were believed to be more suited to bebop's often rapid tempos and demand for technical mastery. In , bebop co-founder Dizzy Gillespie encouraged the young trombonist's development: "I've always known that the trombone could