Born James Louis Johnson on January 22, 1924, J.J. Johnson (aka Jay Jay) is remembered as one of the most talented jazz trombonists of any era.

He first studied piano when he was nine but switched to trombone when he was 14. At the time, the trombone was more at home with dixieland and swing instead of bebop, because it was believed it’s fast tempo could only be played on instruments with valves and keys, like trumpets and saxaphones.

JJ changed all that. He developed a style so fluid and precise many people were surprised to learn he was playing a slide trombone instead of a valved one.

He played in many top bands, such as Count Basie, Benny Carter, Max Roach, as well as playing alongside some of the biggest names in jazz, like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis.

One of his most celebrated colaborations was with fellow jazz trombonist Kai Winding. The idea of featuring two trombones and a rhythm section was a daring one, but it was successful both critically and commercially. The duo reunited several times over the years.

In the 1960s, JJ began to concentrate on composing and in 1970, Quincy Jones convinced him to move to Hollywood, where JJ began composing soundtracks for movies, including Man and Boy (1971), Top of the Heap (1972), Cleopatra Jones (1973), and television for shows like Starsky and Hutch, Mike Hammer, and The Six Million Dollar Man.

JJ Johnson regularly dominated jazz polls, even winning Down Beat magazine’s “Trombonist of the Year” during the years he wasn’t active. In 1995, he was elected into the Down Beat Hall of Fame.

Here’s a sampling of his music:

Misterioso–

Mad Bebop–

Old Devil Moon–

My Old Flame–

Blue Trombone–

And we’ll wind it up with a piece featuring Jay and Kai, It’s Alright With Me–

I hope you not only enjoyed this little intro to one of the trombone’s great innovators, but that it piqued your interest into discovering more of JJ Johnson’s music.

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Trombone Tuesday - JJ