Jj johnson trombone biography of rory

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

Considered by many as the finest jazz trombonist of all time, J.J.

Johnson was a visionary force on his instrument. His developments for the bebop and improvised style on trombone placed him on a par with Charlie Parker on alto saxophone and Jimi Hendrix on the electric guitar.

Jj johnson trombone biography of rory

"J.J. elevated the trombone to a higher status," said trombonist Curtis Fuller, according to Down Beat magazine writer John Murph. "As a jazz soloist, you had your Trummy Youngs and your Dicky Wells, but in the vernacular of bebop, he was the 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 to that." After battling cancer and a muscular-skeletal disorder, Johnson took his own life