J.J. Johnson

American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger (born January 22, 1924, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; died February 4, 2001, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA).

1941-1942: he toured with the territory bands of Clarence Love and [a1705697].

1942-1945: With [a258701]'s big band. Made his recording debut (soloed on "Love for Sale" in October 1943) and played at the first Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP) concert (July 1944).

1945-1946: [a253011].

1946-1960: Performed with [a257114] (1947-49) and worked with all of the top bop musicians, including [a75617] (with whom he recorded in 1947), the [a64694] big band, and the [a23755] 'Birth of the Cool' Nonet. His own recordings from the era included work with [a251769] (in a group which included [a309986]), [a29992] and [a145264]. He also recorded with the [a311056].

1951-1952: played with [a255767] and Miles Davis.

1954-1956: formed a two-trombone quintet with [a267186] that became known as [a1696791], reunions would follow.

1956-1960: led a quintet that often included [a298943]; began to focus more on his own compositions, starting with 1956's "Poem for Brass" (issued on Columbia CL 941) and including "El Camino Real" and a feature for [a64694], the album "Perceptions" (Verve V6-8411); his "Lament" became a standard.

1961-1962: worked again with Miles Davis, and led some small groups of his own.

1960's: greater part of time spent writing television and film scores.

By the 1970's, Johnson was sufficiently well-known to continue winning "DownBeat" polls despite his effective absence from the jazz scene. However, starting with a Japanese tour in 1977, Johnson gradually returned to a busy performance schedule; during the 1980's he would go on to lead a quintet that often featured [a552908].