The firm grip that American tenor saxophonists have held on the bandstand at Ronnie Scott’s Club was loosened recently by the appearance of J. J. Johnson for three weeks. He arrived preceded by the reputation of being the greatest name in modern jazz-trombone playing and his work at Ronnie’s did much to bear this out. To anyone unfamiliar with J. J.‘s in-the-flesh playing, the most impressive facet would probably be his tone. On record his technique, facility and ideas are self-evident, but often the tone sounds too bland, too dull. In person nothing, but nothing, could be further from the truth. It’s a beautiful sound, very compact—and yet bright. On the ballads particularly, the sound was huge, always with no vibrato. His fluency is quite extraordinary. Even at very fast tempos (the slide-trombonist’s nightmare), he executes the most difficult phrases with tremendous precision and attack.

Another impressive aspect of his playing is his endurance. To play three sets a night, solo, Is tough for any brass player—and yet J.J. played long, extended solos, frequently blowing around top D and E flat and creating tremendous heat and excitement. Also he played long, lip-taxing ballads—“The Nearness Of You” and “Goodbye” were particularly impressive. He played mainly Standards and Blues—a tried-and-trusted formula—and used his own “Turnpike” as a play-off at the end of each set.
Keith Christie