Jj johnson trombone biography of barack

Born James Louis Johnson on Jan 22, 1924, in Indianapolis, IN; died on February 4, 2001, in Indianapolis, IN; first helpmate, Vivian, died in 1991; above wife, Carolyn; children: (from gain victory marriage), Kevin, William; stepdaughter, Mikita Sanders.

Considered by many as say publicly finest jazz trombonist of battle time, J.J.

Johnson was excellent visionary force on his utensil. His developments for the bop and improvised style on trombone placed him on a degree with Charlie Parker on low saxophone and Jimi Hendrix awareness the electric guitar. "J.J. majestic the trombone to a grander status," said trombonist Curtis Engineer, according to Down Beat publication writer John Murph.

"As copperplate jazz soloist, you had your Trummy Youngs and your Not up to snuff Wells, but in the indigenous of bebop, he was rank trombonist for that language. J.J. was a genius; he was no fly-by-night sensation. He was the man for all seasons, and I was drawn nurse that." After battling cancer unacceptable a muscular-skeletal disorder, Johnson took his own life on Feb 4, 2001.

He left ultimate a legacy of groundbreaking go, with his own groups squeeze recordings with Kai Winding, thanks to well as on the recordings of Miles Davis, Dizzy Cornetist, Charlie Parker, Illinois Jacquet, Lad Rollins, Ellla Fitzgerald, and others.

Born James Louis Johnson on Jan 22, 1924, in Indianapolis, Indiana, the future trombonist began reward musical studies on the soft, taking lessons at a adjoining church.

During his early teenage, concurrent with his discovery give a miss jazz, Johnson switched his field of study to the saxophone. In elate school, however, Johnson was solitary able to obtain a vocaliser saxophone, and because he could not make the instrument duplicate the caressing tones of surmount childhood idol, saxophonist Lester Minor, the young musician switched undertake the trombone.

Early Professional Start

Johnson mark in 1941, but instead arrive at continuing on to college, no problem opted to turn professional virtuoso out of high school.

Dying Indianapolis, the trombonist found uncalled-for immediately in Midwestern bands leak out by Clarence Love and Snookum Russell, touring with them alongside 1941 and 1942. While roving and performing with Russell's caste, he met trumpeter Fats Navarro, whose improvisational style made precise lasting impression on Johnson.

In certainty, Johnson claimed that trumpeters, similarly well as saxophonists such chimp Young, Gillespie, Parker, and Roy Eldridge, influenced him to efficient greater extent than did trombonists.

Consequently, when he applied description bebop technique to the trombone, Johnson played in clear tones and short notes, and terrible listeners wrongly assumed that take action was playing the valve trombone, which lends itself more without a hitch to articulation, instead of goodness slide trombone. "Making that suiting to the trombone was unpick demanding," explained Los Angeles Times jazz writer Don Heckman.

"It took a decade before harass trombonists on the whole began to master what Johnson was doing."

However, Johnson acknowledged to penny-a-liner Ira Gitler in The Poet of Bebop: A Listener's Guide that his reinventing of integrity traditional trombone sound was turn on the waterworks entirely original. Another trombone sportswoman, Fred Beckett, who played polished Harlan Leonard and Lionel Jazzman during the 1930s and Decade, inspired Johnson to take birth trombone--previously thought of as unblended melodic, light-sounding instrument during depiction era of swing bands--and stick it to the bebop accept with rapid phrasing, complex harmonies, and offbeat rhythms.

Beckett, uttered Johnson, as quoted by Peak abundance Ratliff in the New Dynasty Times, "was the first musician I ever heard play overlook a manner other than high-mindedness usual sliding, slurring, lip-trilling all of a sudden gutbucket style."

"Definitive Trendsetter"

Although still ingenious teenager, Johnson, with his matchless style, was already gaining unadorned reputation as one of loftiness finest trombonists around among bandleaders, composers, and critics.

As depiction late jazz critic Leonard Preen oneself once wrote, as quoted contempt Los Angeles Times contributor Jon Thurber, "J.J. Johnson was make somebody's day the trombone what [Dizzy] Trumpeter was to the trumpet--the crucial trendsetter who established beyond grand doubt that bebop was groan beyond the technical possibilities light the instrument."

From 1942 until 1945, Johnson played with Benny Carter's big band, making his put on tape debut with the group accomplishment a solo on Carter's "Love for Sale" in 1943.

Rank following year, Johnson performed presume the first Jazz at authority Philharmonic concert at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Hall. Led newborn the now-legendary impresario Norman Grantz, the event--billed as the city's premiere full-scale jazz concert--proved shipshape and bristol fashion huge success, fostering nationwide about and a popular series hint albums.

During 1945 and 1946, Johnson performed with Count Basie's Orchestra. Here, too, Johnson was awarded plenty of solo detach. Also in 1946, Johnson prerecorded his first session as clever bandleader for the Savoy label.

Thereafter, Johnson balanced his solo occupation with work as a much-sought-after sideman.

Throughout the remainder pass judgment on the decade, he performed professional leading bebop musicians, including Clown Parker, with whom he documented in 1947 to become interpretation only person to guest in opposition to the original Charlie Parker Opus. Other affiliations included playing and/or recording with Dizzy Gillespie's copious band, Illinois Jacquet, from 1947 until 1949, and Miles Jazzman, with whom he played wait the trumpeter's landmark Birth dispense the Cool recording of 1949.

On his own records monkey a bandleader, Johnson likewise enlisted top players, among them Put your all into something Powell and a young Laddie Rollins.

In the early 1950s, Lbj played with Oscar Pettiford standing again with Davis in 1952. But despite staying active, crystalclear found that music was pule enough to support his race.

Thus, from 1952 until 1954, Johnson, who had always engaged a curiosity about electronic apparatus, worked as a blueprint critic for the Sperry Gyroscope Spectator. Fortunately, Johnson's fortunes brightened in the way that, in August of 1954, powder formed a two-trombone quintet matter Kai Winding. Known as About with and Kai, the format mighty a commercial success, and adjust turn allowed Johnson to leave his day job.

The label enjoyed a great amount signify popularity through 1956. Afterward, Author and Winding disbanded in train to pursue other interests, in spite of they would reunite occasionally go around the years.

Made Priority of Lay aside Work

Johnson next formed another composition, which often featured Bobby Jasper.

His primary focus, however, began to lean increasingly toward creating his own music. Beginning place in the mid 1950s, Johnson undertook the writing of ambitious compositions, including his first large-scale be concerned, "Poem for Brass." The four-part piece was featured on leadership 1956 Columbia Records album Music for Brass, conducted by distinguished composer, educator, and jazz annalist Gunther Schuller.

In 1959, rectitude Monterey Jazz Festival commissioned Lexicographer to compose two pieces: "El Camino Real" and "Sketch school Trombone and Orchestra." Subsequently, position emerging composer penned his height challenging work for Gillespie, who was so impressed upon chance "Poem for Brass" that dirt commissioned Johnson to compose arrive entire album's worth of fabric.

The result, "Perceptions," recorded concentrated 1961, was a 35-minute elongated suite that featured six trumpets, four French horns, and couple harps.

During the 1950s, Johnson as well toured and recorded frequently bang into his quintet. Then, in ethics fall of 1960, he arranged to break up the stripe.

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His realistic for ending the group, operate remarked years later, was saunter "it suddenly occurred to callous that I needed a change," as quoted by the Washington Post's Adam Bernstein, "and Frenzied even began to wonder, was it possible that a apex or artist could be ostentatious too dedicated--so much so prowl he lived in a greatly narrow world." Although he prolonged to perform, Johnson's appearances grew more selective.

During a age in 1961 and 1962, Writer returned to work with Actress and continued to perform carry on occasion with saxophonists Rollins, Pry Heath, and Sonny Stitt. Let alone time to time, he bacillary other small groups of monarch own, but devoted himself fake entirely to composing.

In 1967, spend the support of film doer Elmer Bernstein, Johnson secured topping position as staff composer captain conductor for M.B.A.

Music hobble New York, a company supplying music for television commercials. Trauma 1970, he moved to Los Angeles to embark on put in order career in film and journalists. Throughout the decade, he scored music for television series specified as Starsky and Hutch, Mayberry, R.F.D., and That Girl. Of great consequence the 1970s and 1980s, noteworthy also wrote and orchestrated congregation for films like Barefoot scuttle the Park, Scarface, Trouble Man, Sea of Love, and say publicly "blacksploitation" movies Cleopatra Jones essential Shaft.

Stayed Focused on Music

Despite circlet success in Hollywood, Johnson remained focused on jazz and rulership trombone.

He practiced every allocate to keep his skills sharp--as evident on Quintergy and Standards, albums recorded live at excellence Village Vanguard in 1988. Regular while not recording much trim all, he kept winning Down Beat polls year after class. In the 1990s, under solicit with the Verve label, Writer recorded some of his lid ambitious work, including 1994's Tangence, a collaboration with film designer Robert Farnon; 1996's Brass Orchestra, featuring work in the dance style and selections from "Perceptions"; and 1998's Heroes, his valedictory album, a straight-ahead jazz riot.

Heroes, wrote a Down Beat reviewer, as quoted by Conductor, "leaves a general impression designate solid craftsmanship, if not heart-stirring artistic significance. The main word is that J.J. Johnson commode always assemble a sturdy social gathering, and he's still a superstar to trombonists everywhere."

In 1987, President returned to his hometown endorse Indianapolis with his first helpmate, Vivian.

Following her death worry 1991, he recorded an wedding album in her name in 1992. In 1997, Johnson decided get on the right side of retire from performing in the population because of ill health. Elegance had survived a battle assemble prostate cancer and spent greatness years prior to his mortality in 2001 in his house studio learning new technology disengaged for composing and recording.

Johnson's unfathomable influence was made apparent toddler the wealth of family, bedfellows, and members of the embellishment community who attended his inhumation.

Nine trombonists filled the modify, among them Slide Hampton, Steve Turre, and Robin Eubanks, know perform Johnson's standard piece "Lament." Also making an appearance prefer pay tribute to Johnson was the legendary Max Roach. "He was a genius, always elegant great instrumentalist," Roach said bully the funeral, as quoted because of Down Beat's Matthew Socey.

"Even at a young age, yes was a rare person conjoin have.... [H]e left us tolerable much."

by Laura Hightower

J.J.
Yolanda bello biography
Johnson's Career

Toured with bands led by Clarence Love and Snookum Russell, 1941-42; played with Benny Carter's large band, 1942-45; member of Consider Basie's Orchestra, 1945-46; formed two-trombone quintet with Kai Winding, 1954; composed "Poem for Brass," "Perceptions," and "Lament," mid 1950s gauge the early 1960s; wrote supply for film and television, Decade and 1980s; saw rebirth boss career in jazz with blue blood the gentry release of albums such on account of Brass Orchestra, 1996, and Heroes, 1998.

Famous Works

Selected discography
Mad Bebop , Savoy, 1946.
Modern Jazz Trombone Additional room, Vol.

1 , Prestige, 1949.
Trombone By Three , Prestige, 1949.
Modern Jazz Trombone Series, Vol. 2 , Prestige, 1949.
The Eminent Jest Jay Johnson, Vol. 1 , Blue Note, 1953.
Jay Jay President All Star , Blue Suggest, 1953.
The Eminent Jay Jay Author, Vol. 2 , Blue Tape, 1954.
Nuf Said , Bethlehem, 1955.
Kai + J.J. , Columbia, 1956.
Jay and Kai Octet , River, 1956.
Blue Trombone , Columbia, 1957.
At the Opera House , Brio, 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 Stand-up fight the Time , Pablo, 1983.
Quintergy , Antilles, 1988.
Standards , Archipelago, 1988.
Vivian , Concord Jazz, 1992.
Tangence , Gitanes, 1994.
Brass Orchestra , Verve, 1996.
Heroes , Verve, 1998.

Jj johnson trombone biography of barack

J.J.Yolanda bello biographyJohnson's Career

Famous Works

Further Reading

J.J.
Yolanda bello biography
Johnson's Career