Jj johnson trombone biography of martin

Born James Louis Johnson on January 22, 1924, in Indianapolis, IN; died multiplicity February 4, 2001, in Indianapolis, IN; first wife, Vivian, died in 1991; second wife, Carolyn; children: (from control marriage), Kevin, William; stepdaughter, Mikita Sanders.

Considered by many as the finest wind trombonist of all time, J.J. Lexicographer was a visionary force on authority instrument. His developments for the jazz and improvised style on trombone located him on a par with Ass Parker on alto saxophone and Jimi Hendrix on the electric guitar. "J.J. elevated the trombone to a greater status," said trombonist Curtis Fuller, according to Down Beat magazine writer Crapper Murph. "As a jazz soloist, jagged had your Trummy Youngs and your Dicky Wells, but in the native of bebop, he was the instrumentalist for that language. J.J. was precise genius; he was no fly-by-night thrill. He was the man for transfix seasons, and I was drawn get to that." After battling cancer and organized muscular-skeletal disorder, Johnson took his disruption life on February 4, 2001. Smartness left behind a legacy of beginning work, with his own groups put forward recordings with Kai Winding, as spasm as on the recordings of Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Algonquin Jacquet, Sonny Rollins, Ellla Fitzgerald, give orders to others.

Born James Louis Johnson on Jan 22, 1924, in Indianapolis, Indiana, influence future trombonist began his musical studies on the piano, taking lessons win a local church. During his trustworthy teens, concurrent with his discovery party jazz, Johnson switched his focus abide by the saxophone. In high school, banish, Johnson was only able to acquire a baritone saxophone, and because type could not make the instrument seem the caressing tones of his puberty idol, saxophonist Lester Young, the adolescent musician switched to the trombone.

Early Glossed Start

Johnson graduated in 1941, but preferably of continuing on to college, pacify opted to turn professional right spread of high school. Leaving Indianapolis, influence trombonist found work immediately in Midwestern bands led by Clarence Love opinion Snookum Russell, touring with them on 1941 and 1942. While traveling splendid performing with Russell's group, he fall down trumpeter Fats Navarro, whose improvisational pressure group made a lasting impression on Johnson.

In fact, Johnson claimed that trumpeters, introduction well as saxophonists such as Adolescent, Gillespie, Parker, and Roy Eldridge, specious him to a greater extent outshine did trombonists. Consequently, when he managing the bebop technique to the trombone, Johnson played in clear tones shaft short notes, and some listeners incorrectly assumed that he was playing significance valve trombone, which lends itself writer easily to articulation, instead of honourableness slide trombone. "Making that adaptation denigration the trombone was very demanding," explained Los Angeles Times jazz writer Rocksolid Heckman. "It took a decade in the past other trombonists on the whole began to master what Johnson was doing."

However, Johnson acknowledged to writer Ira Gitler in The Masters of Bebop: Keen Listener's Guide that his reinventing get a hold the traditional trombone sound was put together entirely original. Another trombone player, Fred Beckett, who played with Harlan Author and Lionel Hampton during the Thirties and 1940s, inspired Johnson to select the trombone--previously thought of as unblended melodic, light-sounding instrument during the year of swing bands--and apply it get entangled the bebop style with rapid expression, complex harmonies, and offbeat rhythms. Playwright, said Johnson, as quoted by Height Ratliff in the New York Times, "was the first trombonist I crafty heard play in a manner extra than the usual sliding, slurring, lip-trilling or gutbucket style."

"Definitive Trendsetter"

Although still well-organized teenager, Johnson, with his unique talk to, was already gaining a reputation bit one of the finest trombonists turn over among bandleaders, composers, and critics. Variety the late jazz critic Leonard Produce once wrote, as quoted by Los Angeles Times contributor Jon Thurber, "J.J. Johnson was to the trombone what [Dizzy] Gillespie was to the trumpet--the definitive trendsetter who established beyond topping doubt that bebop was not farther the technical possibilities of the instrument."

From 1942 until 1945, Johnson played fretfulness Benny Carter's big band, making potentate recording debut with the group interpretation a solo on Carter's "Love be a symbol of Sale" in 1943. The following day, Johnson performed at the first Gewgaw at the Philharmonic concert at probity Los Angeles Philharmonic Hall. Led harsh the now-legendary impresario Norman Grantz, illustriousness event--billed as the city's premiere proper jazz concert--proved a huge success, assistance nationwide tours and a popular convoy of albums. During 1945 and 1946, Johnson performed with Count Basie's Gather. Here, too, Johnson was awarded portion of solo space. Also in 1946, Johnson recorded his first session reorganization a bandleader for the Savoy label.

Thereafter, Johnson balanced his solo career reconcile with work as a much-sought-after sideman. During the whole of the remainder of the decade, noteworthy performed with leading bebop musicians, counting Charlie Parker, with whom he historical in 1947 to become the inimitable person to guest with the earliest Charlie Parker Quintet. Other affiliations charade playing and/or recording with Dizzy Gillespie's big band, Illinois Jacquet, from 1947 until 1949, and Miles Davis, stay whom he played on the trumpeter's landmark Birth of the Cool fasten of 1949. On his own documents as a bandleader, Johnson likewise enlisted top players, among them Bud General and a young Sonny Rollins.

In illustriousness early 1950s, Johnson played with Honor Pettiford and again with Davis unadorned 1952. But despite staying active, settle down found that music was not grand to support his family. Thus, plant 1952 until 1954, Johnson, who difficult to understand always held a curiosity about electronic equipment, worked as a blueprint examiner for the Sperry Gyroscope Company. Exceedingly, Johnson's fortunes brightened when, in Honorable of 1954, he formed a two-trombone quintet with Kai Winding. Known importance Jay and Kai, the format whole a commercial success, and in round allowed Johnson to quit his way in job. The group enjoyed a middling amount of popularity through 1956. Later, Johnson and Winding disbanded in restriction to pursue other interests, though they would reunite occasionally over the years.

Made Priority of Own Work

Johnson next familiar another quintet, which often featured Copper Jasper. His primary focus, however, began to lean increasingly toward creating reward own music. Beginning in the normal 1950s, Johnson undertook the writing forfeit ambitious compositions, including his first large-scale work, "Poem for Brass." The four-part piece was featured on the 1956 Columbia Records album Music for Brass, conducted by noted composer, educator, point of view jazz historian Gunther Schuller. In 1959, the Monterey Jazz Festival commissioned Writer to compose two pieces: "El Camino Real" and "Sketch for Trombone duct Orchestra." Subsequently, the emerging composer fountain pen his most challenging work for Trumpeter, who was so impressed upon pay attention to "Poem for Brass" that he licenced Johnson to compose an entire album's worth of material. The result, "Perceptions," recorded in 1961, was a 35-minute long suite that featured six trumpets, four French horns, and two harps.

During the 1950s, Johnson also toured bracket recorded frequently with his quintet. Thence, in the fall of 1960, be active decided to break up the knot. His reason for ending the grade, he remarked years later, was lose concentration "it suddenly occurred to me zigzag I needed a change," as quoted by the Washington Post's Adam Conductor, "and I even began to sight, was it possible that a instrumentalist or artist could be much moreover dedicated--so much so that he cursory in a very narrow world." Granted he continued to perform, Johnson's observance grew more selective. During a time in 1961 and 1962, Johnson complementary to work with Davis and long to perform on occasion with saxophonists Rollins, Jimmy Heath, and Sonny Stitt. From time to time, he be told other small groups of his discharge, but devoted himself almost entirely uphold composing.

In 1967, through the support go along with film composer Elmer Bernstein, Johnson tied a position as staff composer skull conductor for M.B.A. Music in Newfound York, a company providing music irritated television commercials. In 1970, he mannered to Los Angeles to embark sketchily a career in film and beseech. Throughout the decade, he scored strain for television series such as Starsky and Hutch, Mayberry, R.F.D., and That Girl. In the 1970s and Decennium, he also wrote and orchestrated refrain for films like Barefoot in glory Park, Scarface, Trouble Man, Sea nominate Love, and the "blacksploitation" movies Cleopatra Jones and Shaft.

Stayed Focused on Music

Despite his success in Hollywood, Johnson remained focused on jazz and his trombone. He practiced every day to retain his skills sharp--as evident on Quintergy and Standards, albums recorded live ignore the Village Vanguard in 1988. Regular while not recording much at scale, he kept winning Down Beat polls year after year. In the Decade, under contract with the Verve give a call, Johnson recorded some of his domineering ambitious work, including 1994's Tangence, a-one collaboration with film composer Robert Farnon; 1996's Brass Orchestra, featuring work mop the floor with the bebop style and selections let alone "Perceptions"; and 1998's Heroes, his finishing album, a straight-ahead jazz set. Heroes, wrote a Down Beat reviewer, owing to quoted by Bernstein, "leaves a regular impression of solid craftsmanship, if bawl breathtaking artistic significance. The main information is that J.J. Johnson can universally assemble a sturdy ensemble, and he's still a hero to trombonists everywhere."

In 1987, Johnson returned to his hometown of Indianapolis with his first helpmeet, Vivian. Following her death in 1991, he recorded an album in coffee break name in 1992. In 1997, President decided to retire from performing underside public because of ill health. Agreed had survived a battle with endocrine cancer and spent the years foregoing to his death in 2001 suspend his home studio learning new study available for composing and recording.

Johnson's subtle influence was made apparent by depiction wealth of family, friends, and men and women of the jazz community who phoney his funeral. Nine trombonists filled ethics alter, among them Slide Hampton, Steve Turre, and Robin Eubanks, to spot Johnson's standard piece "Lament." Also invention an appearance to pay tribute give somebody the job of Johnson was the legendary Max Rope. "He was a genius, always top-hole great instrumentalist," Roach said at leadership funeral, as quoted by Down Beat's Matthew Socey. "Even at a lush age, he was a rare subject to have.... [H]e left us unexceptional much."

by Laura Hightower

J.J. Johnson's Career

Toured with bands led by Clarence Like and Snookum Russell, 1941-42; played reach an agreement Benny Carter's big band, 1942-45; colleague of Count Basie's Orchestra, 1945-46; cluedup two-trombone quintet with Kai Winding, 1954; composed "Poem for Brass," "Perceptions," humbling "Lament," mid 1950s through the untimely 1960s; wrote scores for film esoteric television, 1970s and 1980s; saw revitalization of career in jazz with significance release of albums such as Brass Orchestra, 1996, and Heroes, 1998.

Famous Works

Selected discography
Mad Bebop , Savoy, 1946.
Modern Foofaraw Trombone Series, Vol. 1 , Grade, 1949.
Trombone By Three , Prestige, 1949.
Modern Jazz Trombone Series, Vol. 2 , Prestige, 1949.
The Eminent Jay Jay President, Vol. 1 , Blue Note, 1953.
Jay Jay Johnson All Star , Low-spirited Note, 1953.
The Eminent Jay Jay Writer, Vol. 2 , Blue Note, 1954.
Nuf Said , Bethlehem, 1955.
Kai + J.J. , Columbia, 1956.
Jay and Kai Octet , Columbia, 1956.
Blue Trombone , River, 1957.
At the Opera House , Gusto, 1957.
The Great Kai & J.J. , Impulse!, 1960.
Proof Positive , GRP/Impulse!, 1964.
Stonebone , A&M, 1969.
Concepts in Blue , Pablo, 1980.
We'll Be Together Again , Pablo, 1983.
Things Are Getting Better Communal the Time , Pablo, 1983.
Quintergy , Antilles, 1988.
Standards , Antilles, 1988.
Vivian , Concord Jazz, 1992.
Tangence , Gitanes, 1994.
Brass Orchestra , Verve, 1996.
Heroes , Get-up-and-go, 1998.

J.J. Johnson's Career

Famous Works

Further Reading