J.J. Johnson - First Place (1973 Japanese CBS/Sony Vinyl LP Mono)

J.J. Johnson - First Place | Vinyl LP Mono - 1973 Japanese CBS/Sony Reissue (SOPZ 26)

The trombone had fallen out of favour among bebop musicians. The consensus was that valve and key instruments (trumpet, saxophone) suited bebop's rapid tempos better than the slide trombone, which seemed too cumbersome for the music's demands. Dizzy Gillespie thought otherwise. In 1946 he told the young Johnson: "I've always known that the trombone could be played different, that somebody'd catch on one of these days. Man, you're elected." Johnson caught on. He developed a technique so fluid and fast that listeners sometimes assumed he was playing a valve trombone. By 1957, after the commercial success of his two-trombone Jay and Kai Quintet with Kai Winding, Johnson began leading his own small groups, and First Place was his first album recorded entirely as a quartet. The rhythm section is exceptional. Tommy Flanagan, one of the great bebop pianists, comps with elegance and takes economical, melodic solos. Paul Chambers anchors the bottom. Max Roach (appearing courtesy of EmArcy Records) drives the session with the crisp, melodic drumming that made him one of bebop's founding figures. "It's Only a Paper Moon" opens the album at a bright tempo. "Paul's Pal," Sonny Rollins's composition, is patient and bluesy. "For Heaven's Sake" is a ballad built on Flanagan's pristine touch.

Johnson's own compositions show his range. "Commutation" has a hefty Flanagan lead-out, "Harvey's House" swings hard, and "Nickels and Dimes" is prime bebop trombone. The version of "Cry Me a River" is infused with a light tango foundation before settling into a straight-ahead feel. The sessions went so well, and produced so much strong material, that a second album, Blue Trombone, was assembled from the same recordings. Johnson recorded standards and originals with equal command, and his flawless lines across this album are as clear an example of bebop trombone as exists on record.

This is the 1973 Japanese mono reissue on CBS/Sony SOPZ 26, from the CBS Sony Jazz 1300 series, manufactured by CBS/Sony Inc.