Very few composers have a legacy spanning over four decades with as much versatility, vigor and brilliance as J.J. Johnson. From the Early 1950’s sessions with Charlie Parker & Miles Davis to the legendary late 50’s Bebop recordings on Columbia, Prestige, Savoy & Blue Note Records, to the Hard Bop sessions on Verve Records with Stan Getz into the 1960s. J.J Johnson recorded on hundreds and hundreds of ground-breaking Jazz Records across virtually every sub-genre of Jazz. In 1970, Quincy Jones convinced J.J. Johnson to leave New York for Los Angeles. Given his previous accomplishments, it was perhaps inevitable that the trombonist/composter/arranger would be composing and arranging lush audio landscapes for Television and Movies (Across 110th Street with Bobby Womack, Marvin Gaye’s Trouble Man, Willie Dynamite, Cleopatra Jones.) These recently discovered audition reels focus on the early 1970s era ranging from full orchestral movements to strange and quirky Moog arrangements that sound as experimental as the psychedelic drugs that were being consumed during this time period. Family Groove Records has preserved these previously unheard compositions to inspire the future generations of composers and directors
