J. J. Johnson

One can fault this CD for having brief playing time (a dozen selections totaling less than 33 minutes) and for not including the alternate takes, but the music is beyond criticism. When trombonist J.J. Johnson burst on the scene in the mid-'40s, his speed, fluency and quick ideas put him at the top of his field, where he remained for over a half century. This 1992 CD has the trombonist's first three sessions as a leader, music that qualifies as classic bebop. Johnson is matched with either altoist Cecil Payne, baritonist Leo Parker or tenor great Sonny Rollins (on one of his first dates) in quintets that also include Bud Powell, Hank Jones or John Lewis on piano; Leonard Gaskin, Al Lucas or Gene Ramey on bass; and Max Roach or Shadow Wilson on drums…

J.J. Johnson - J.J. Johnson Plays Mack The Knife & Other Kurt Weill Songs (1961) {Lone Hill Jazz 2009}
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© 2009 Lone Hill Jazz | LHJ 10376
Jazz / Hard Bop / Mainstream Jazz / Trombone

This release contains the complete LP Plays Mack the Knife, appearing here on CD for the first time ever, it presents Johnson fronting a quartet that includes Andre Previn on piano, Red Mitchell on bass and Frank Capp on drums playing songs by the celebrated Kurt Weill. As a bonus, we have added another complete LP by Johnson, Trombone and Voices, which also appears here on CD for the first time ever. Although we are aware that the concept and arrangements on this bonus album might seem outdated, we believe that J. J.'s solos clearly merit it being reissued.

Leaving his conch shells - and more offbeat ideas - home this time, Steve Turre's motive for this release was to honor the fountainhead of bop (and thus, modern jazz) trombone, J.J. Johnson, who had tragically taken his own life in 2001 in the face of a terminal illness. In doing so, Turre loads his front line with nothing but trombones - as many as six, but usually fewer. Besides himself, the other trombonists on the album are Robin Eubanks, Steve Davis, Andre Hayward, Douglas Purviance, and New York Philharmonic principal trombonist Joe Alessi (who also plays good jazz). It's a fairly conservative recording by Turre's standards, with an emphasis mostly on the straight-ahead bop that Johnson championed. Indeed, many of the duo-trombone charts sound like latter-day echoes of the famous K and J.J. (Kai Winding/J.J. Johnson) records of the 1950s and '60s…

The second of two Blue Note CDs contains two complete sessions that showcase trombonist J.J. Johnson. The first six titles (highlighted by "Old Devil Moon" and "Too Marvelous for Words") feature Johnson in a quintet with pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Charles Mingus, drummer Kenny Clarke and the congas of Sabu. For the later session, there are also six titles (including "Pennies from Heaven" and "Portrait of Jennie") plus three alternate takes; Johnson is joined by Hank Mobley on tenor, pianist Horace Silver, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Kenny Clarke. Both of these dates offer listeners excellent examples of the talents of the great trombonist who always played his instrument with the fluidity of a trumpet.

Among the many tributes paid to Bird’s memory was a tour by a sextet including musicians closely related to Parker. The leaders were Sonny Stitt, a saxophonist of enormous talent and brilliant technique, and trombonist J.J. Johnson, one of the fathers of bebop. Apart from their associations with Parker, all of the musicians on this sextet were well known stars in their own right, and it is refreshing to see more footage of rarely filmed jazzmen like Johnson, Stitt and Howard McGhee.

J.J. Johnson - J.J. Inc. (1960) {2014 Japan Jazz Collection 1000 Columbia-RCA Series SICP 3987}
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© 1960, 2014 Columbia / Sony Music Japan | SICP 3987
Jazz / Hard Bop / Soul Jazz / Trombone

Reissue with latest remastering. Comes with liner notes. JJ Johnson's greatest album – without a doubt! This gem of a session was recorded in 1960 in New York, with an incredibly hip sextet that includes Cedar Walton, Clifford Jordan, and Freddie Hubbard. The tracks are all long, hip, and very much in a Blue Note soul jazz mode – very unusual not only for Johnson, but for Columbia records as well. The album feels like it should have been issued on Epic, with those killer Dave Bailey sides from 1961 – which might be why it has frequently gotten lost in Johnson's career, hidden amidst some of the sleepier material that seems to see the light of day more often than this one. The album's a stone winner all the way through – and features Johnson playing some of his gutsiest solos ever. Tracks include "Minor Mist", "In Walked Horace", "Fatback", "Aquarius", and "Shutterbug".

J. J. Johnson - First Place (1957) {2015 Japan Jazz Collection 1000 Columbia-RCA Series SICJ 21}
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© 1957, 2015 Columbia / Sony Music Japan | SICJ 21 | Mono
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Trombone

Reissue with the latest 2015 DSD remastering. Comes with liner notes. Not J.J. Johnson's initial public offering by any means, First Place was done with only a quartet in 1957 for Columbia Records, where other efforts by the legendary jazz trombonist were set in a larger ensemble format. Long out of print, this is now on CD with bonus tracks from 1954 featuring Charles Mingus. Playing standards and originals, Johnson assembled a mighty band with pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Paul Chambers, and especially on-fire drummer Max Roach, a group you'd be hard-pressed to top.

J.J. Johnson & Al Cohn - The Birdlanders (1954) {Fresh Sound Records FSR-CD170 rel 1991}
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© 1954, 1991 Fresh Sound Records | FSR-CD 170
Jazz / Bop / Trombone / Saxophone

In 1954, Henri Renaud was highly regarded in jazz circles. The French pianist/producer had played with his share of American heavyweights, who ranged from Lester Young to Clifford Brown to Sarah Vaughan. So when Renaud visited New York in 1954 and launched an all-star project that he called the Birdlanders, he had no problem attracting a lot of first-class beboppers. In order to be a Birdlander, one needed to be a regular at Birdland…this time, Renaud himself is on piano, and he is joined by an impressive cast that includes vibist Milt Jackson, trombonists J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding, tenor saxman Al Cohn, bassist Percy Heath, and drummer Charlie Smith.

J.J. Johnson - J.J. Inc (1960) {1997 Columbia Remaster}
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© 1997 Columbia / Legacy | CK 65296
Jazz / Hard Bop / Trombone

Trombonist J.J. Johnson's 1960 sextet is featured on this Columbia CD. Most notable among the sidemen is a rather young trumpeter named Freddie Hubbard on one of his first sessions; also helping out are tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Arthur Harper and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath. Seven of the compositions (which are joined by Dizzy Gillespie's "Blue 'N' Boogie") are Johnson's and, although none caught on, "Mohawk," "In Walked Horace" and "Fatback" (which is heard in two versions) are all fairly memorable.