Jazz Giants

J.J. Johnson was born James Louis in Indianapolis on January 22, 1924. At the age of nine, Johnson became very interested with music thus learning the piano with a church organist. He took further interest in music once he attended Crispus Attucks Senior High school playing the. He started out playing the Bari saxophone being that it was the only instrument available to him. After a short time, he lost much interest in the saxophone and at the age of fourteen he picked up playing the trombone. Johnson then played in the high school band as well as the brass marching band of the YMCA.

The 1920’s in America was a jazz period classified as the “Roaring Twenties” or “Jazz Age” dominated by Bessie Smith, and people at the top such as Duke Ellington. Much of it reflected the Harlem Renaissance. It was a time where jazz began to separate from its roots in ragtime and blues. This new art form went through many periods of change and evolution. Dixieland soon sprang up from th

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Tragedy struck the jazz and trombone community when on February 4, 2001, J. He went on to play with other legendary jazz giants Benny Carter, Count Basie, and Illinois Jacquet. 's legacy will continue to inspire new trombonists. Johnson soon teamed up with Kai Winding who is also a very talented jazz trombonist with a more laid-back playing style, but one who lingered in the upper register notes.

In the June 1997 issue of Downbeat magazine, Johnson announced his retirement from live performances. A book also came out written by Joshua Berret and Louis Bourgois III entitled The Musical World of J. His first recording was done with the Benny Carter Orchestra, although he was a section player. Original influences were Pres and Roy, then Diz and Bird". I feel that Johnson’s style was vital to this period and periods thereafter because it allows other trombone players to see that it is not impossible to play with the speed of a saxophone player. " He played with small jazz groups including Miles Davis’ ensemble on the influential Birth of the Cool session. Although the pair went their separate ways, they reunited often at times, anonymously on numerous recordings by other artists, and even released a reunion album for Impulse in 1964.

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