Jazz Articles about J.J. Johnson

J.J. Johnson: The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson, Volumes 1 and 2 – Blue Note 1505 and 1506

by Marc Davis
July 3, 2014

Think of jazz, and the trombone almost never comes to mind. Didn't used to be. In the beginning, every jazz band had a trombone. But that was the Dixieland era, and Dixieland bands aren't much in vogue anymore. (Unless you're a fan of HBO's Treme and you listen to Trombone Shorty. Sadly, not enough people do, or Treme would still be on the air.) Then came the big band era, and suddenly lots of trombones were ...

Various Artists: First Impulse: The Creed Taylor Collection 50th Anniversary

by Chris May
May 15, 2011

The headline news on this lavishly packaged, four-CD collection of the work of the Impulse! label's founding producer, Creed Taylor, is that it includes three previously unreleased tracks by John Coltrane. These were recorded during rehearsals for what would become the saxophonist's Impulse! debut, Africa/Brass, in 1961. They have a combined playing time of less than eight minutes, but as newly discovered Coltrane recordings are reduced to a trickle with the passage of time, the arrival of any such material, ...

J.J. Johnson & Kai Winding Quintet: Complete Fifties Studio Recordings

by Francis Lo Kee
August 22, 2005

The first thing that piqued my interest about Complete Fifties Studio Recordings (compiled from the Savoy, Prestige, Columbia, and Bethlehem labels) was the inclusion of a rare Mingus piece called “Reflections. When you get to track number six after traveling through the preceding tunes (including the delightful “Bernie's Tune ) you might utter “Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.

The piece starts off with the lowest “F on arco bass, and then the first trombone plays a slightly ...

The Musical World Of J.J. Johnson

by Victor L. Schermer
March 4, 2004

The Musical World Of J.J. Johnson Joshua Berrett and Louis G. Bourgois III Scarecrow Press, Inc. ISBN 0810836483 1999 J.J. Johnson is known to the listening public as a jazz trombonist who has repeatedly won the Downbeat and many other polls, who has played the instrument at super-rapid clips (a Philadelphia nightclub once billed him, Barnum and Bailey style, as “The Fastest Trombone Player Alive!"), and who, with the great ...

J.J. Johnson: The J.J. Johnson Memorial Album

by Norman Weinstein
July 25, 2003

Is it possible to think of jazz trombone without the artistry of J.J. Johnson coming to mind? His death in 2001 brought closure to a career covering a half-century, and there are few major figures in bop/ mainstream jazz that didn't share concert billing with him. His recorded output graced a number of labels: Blue Note, Prestige, Concord, and Verve. In a perfect world, a career retrospective would be a multi-disc, multi-label affair. In this imperfect world, thank Fantasy Jazz ...

J.J. Johnson: The Eminent J.J. Johnson Vol. 1

by AAJ Staff
August 1, 2001

Compared with the first appearance of previously released jazz albums in CD format, the second generation of jazz CD reissues represents sophisticated product: 24 bit remastering, updated liner notes, and glossy packaging--candy for jazz lovers. One in the most recent block of titles from Blue Note’s Rudy Van Gelder (RVG) edition reissue series, The Eminent J.J. Johnson, Volume One plays a variation on the reissue theme. Blue Note originally issued the songs on this session piecemeal as two separate albums. ...

J. J. Johnson: Pinnacles

by AAJ Staff
April 1, 1999

From the start of a decade, this tried to blend old faces with a new sound. The electric piano starts up; the sound flits from speaker to speaker in annoying fashion. The rhythm gets behind, Billy Higgins getting a firm hand on things. And then J.J. enters: dark and rich and full of confidence. He stutters his solo with short tight trumpet notes, then goes rumply with some guttural clusters. Tommy Flanagan goes quiet and cool, his electric stating the ...