Born James Louis Johnson in Indianapolis, Indiana on January 22, 1924, J.J. Johnson was a jazz trombonist, arranger, and composer. Initially operating as a Dixieland and swing musician, Johnson gravitated towards bebop and was one of the earliest trombonists to do so. His musical training began at the age of 9, when he began learning to play piano. He switched to trombone at the age of 14 and began playing with leaders like Clarence Love and Snookum Russell at the beginning of the 1940s. It was in Russell’s band that he worked with Fats Navarro, who encouraged Johnson to play in the style of saxophonist Lester Young. In 1945, he joined Count Basie’s big band and played and toured with him for a year, exiting the band in 1946. Later that year, he began playing bebop when he received encouragement from the genre’s co-inventor Dizzy Gillespie. In the following years, Johnson played with a variety of bebop musicians including Illinois Jacquet, Max Roach, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, Oscar Pettiford, and others. In 1954, he joined forces with Kai Winding as The Jay and Kai Quintet, achieving great success over the next two years. The duo split amicably and Johnson pursued a career as a bandleader. He fronted quartets and sextets that featured now-legendary players such as Nat Adderley, Freddie Hubbard, Tommy Flanagan, Elvin Jones, and many others. During this period, he recorded albums such as First Place and Blue Trombone (both released in 1957). At the beginning of the 1960s, he was as active as ever, recording J.J. Inc. (1960) and A Touch of Satin (1961). Johnson collaborated with André Previn’s trio on the album André Previn and J.J. Johnson Play ‘Mack the Knife’ and Other Kurt Weill Songs (1961). Albums like J.J.’s Broadway and Proof Positive showcased how his playing and arranging had matured over the years. By the end of the ‘60s, jazz musicians saw a downturn in interest and paying gigs and J.J. was no excuse. He moved to California and composed music for movies and television throughout most of the ‘70s. He released a few low-profile albums as the ‘70s turned into the ‘80s, but focused on his soundtrack work. In 1987, he returned to playing live at New York’s Village Vanguard. In 1988, his wife suffered a stroke and he cancelled all work in order to take care of her. In 1992, he returned to recording and live performing. Four years later, he came off the road and focused on composition. Suffering from prostate cancer, J.J. Johnson took his own life on February 4, 2000.
