Jay Jay Johnson "The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson, Volume Two"

Jay Jay Johnson

"The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson, Volume Two"

( Blue Note Records, 2001 )

Personnel (#1-6) :
J.J. Johnson - Trombone
Wynton Kelly - Piano
Charles Mingus - Bass
Kenny Clarke - Drums
Sabu Martinez - Congas

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on
September 24, 1954

Personnel (#7-15) :
J.J. Johnson - Trombone
Hank Mobley - Tenor Sax
Horace Silver - Piano
Paul Chambers - Bass
Kenny Clarke - Drums

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on
June 6, 1955

Tracklisting :
01 Too Marvelous for Words
02 Jay
03 Old Devil Moon
04 It's You or No One
05 Time After Time
06 Coffee Pot
07 Pennies from Heaven
08 Viscosity
09 You're Mine, You
10 "Daylie" Double
11 Groovin'
12 Portrait of Jennie
13 Pennies from Heaven [alternate take]
14 Viscosity [alternate take]
15 "Daylie" Double [alternate take]

Notes :
The original 12'' LP issue of tracks #1-4 & 6 was Blue Note BLP 1505;
The original 12'' LP issue of tracks #5, 7 & 8 was Blue Note BLP 1506;
Tracks #1-6 originally issued on 10'' LP 5057;
Tracks #7-12 originally issued on 10'' LP 5070.

Review :

J.J. Johnson's Blue Note sides from the first half of the '50s represent some of the best bop of the day. And for listeners interested in just picking up one of the trombonist's early dates, this second installment of his Eminent J.J. Johnson series is the one to get. Including fewer alternate takes and more material than Vol. 1, this 15-track set features such stellar Johnson originals as "Coffee Pot" and "Daylie Double," as well as solid covers like "Old Devil Moon" and "Time After Time." Topped off with excellent contributions by the likes of Hank Mobley, Horace Silver, and Charles Mingus, Eminent J.J. Johnson, Vol. 2 is a bop classic.

By Stephen Cook [AMG]

By Rob