Trombone, Composer, Arranger (1924-2001)

Born James Louis Johnson on 22 January 1924 in Indianapolis, Indiana, J.J. Johnson was an American jazz trombonist, composer, and arranger called "the Charlie Parker of the trombone" for transferring bebop innovations to his instrument with such speed listeners assumed he played valve rather than slide trombone. After studying piano from age nine, Johnson took up trombone at 14, beginning professional work with Clarence Love in 1941, Snookum Russell in 1942 and with the Benny Carter's orchestra 1942-1945. His recording debut was in 1943 with "Love for Sale". Between 1945-1946 Johnson played with Count Basie's band. He also played with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool Nonet.

Johnson lost his cabaret card in 1946, preventing NYC nightclub work for 12 years. He worked as a blueprint inspector in the fifties before forming the popular two-trombone quintet with Kai Winding in 1954. After the group split in 1956, Johnson led his own quintets and composed ambitious works including "Poem for Brass", "Perceptions", and "Lament". He worked with Miles Davis in the early 1960s, then moved to California, scoring for television (Starsky and Hutch) and films (Cleopatra Jones, Shaft). Despite not playing publicly, Johnson kept winning DownBeat polls throughout the 1970s. Johnson returned to performance in 1977 with a tour of Japan. Named 1996 NEA Jazz Master, he died 4 February 2001 in Indianapolis aged 76.