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J.J. Johnson was an American jazz composer and one of the genre’s most influential trombonists. Johnson received early training as a pianist, and at age 14 he began to study the trombone. He became a professional musician in 1941 and during the decade worked in the orchestras of Benny Carter and
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
J. J. Johnson (January 22, 1924 – February 4, 2001), 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.
Apr 24, 2024 · J.J. Johnson was so famous in the jazz world that he kept on winning DOWN BEAT polls in the 1970s even though he was not playing at all! However, starting with a Japanese tour in 1977, J.J. gradually returned to a busy performance schedule, leading a quintet in the 1980s that often featured Ralph Moore.
Feb 4, 2001 · Bio. Often referred to as the "Charlie Parker of the trombone" due to his uncanny musical dexterity and fluency, James Louis "J.J." Johnson dominated his instrument for more than 40 years, and was known as a potent composer and arranger. He was a perennial jazz magazine poll winner for his peerless trombone playing.
May 23, 2018 · 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.
Countless artists have subsequently given Johnson deserved credit as the father of jazz trombone, and exceptional practitioners of that instrument like Wycliffe Gordon, Robin Eubanks, Andre Hayward, and Conrad Herwig all continue to play music inspired by and in debt to Johnson’s prodigious talent.
Apr 1, 2015 · My deep fascination with J.J. revolves around the idea of how he has helped make jazz into such an elastic, inclusive musical art, blurring categories of style, drawing upon sources ranging from Bela Bartok, to Benjamin Britten, to blues, to Stravinsky, and much more.
