Talk:J. J. Johnson discography

Expand discography based on book / work by Louis G. Bourgois

It looks like the Jay Jay Johnson discography can be expanded. I may work on this if I have time but... ... I found it more difficult to research and confirm album "release" dates but the actual recording dates are fairly well documented. ...
Pugetbill (talk) 01:55, 11 April 2016 (UTC)

Reconciling unconfirmed albums in discography

Still seeking references for:

• 1949: J. J. Johnson's Boppers (Fantasy)
• 1949: J. J. Johnson (Savoy)

I suspect these may be alternate titles/labels for J J Johnson recordings (singles and EPs) released between 1946 and 1949 ???

In order to uniquely identify recordings and avoid overlap / redundancies (the same album being listed twice with slightly different titles / release dates), I suggest the recording number of each listed recording (e.g. "Savoy MG 12106") should always be referenced - either directly on the Wikipedia discography page or (at least) here on a listing in the talk page so that all editors can use (and update / correct / improve as needed) a common / consistent listing. This seems especially helpful in the case of pre ~1957 recordings when some companies sometimes re-used the same album title for different (sometime only partial) releases of the same or similar material - e.g. on (7 and 10 inch) "EP"s and 10 and 12 inch LPs of different maximum recording lengths.
Pugetbill (talk) 18:12, 17 April 2016 (UTC)

After a fair amount of researching, I am unable to find a reliable source (or any source/reference) for a 1949 Fantasy Records original recording or release titled, J. J. Johnson's Boppers. I will continue to search but - for now - I have removed that title from the discography page as un-referenced. Likewise, I can find no reference for a 1949 Savoy original release titled, J. J. Johnson. This may have originally been intended to represent or refer to J. J. Johnson's Jazz Quintets or to one of the Savoy singles or EPs released from 1946~1949 (see below) but, either way, I believe the 1949 J.J. Johnson listing is now redundant / unnecessary and I have removed it. (but I'll keep double checking.)

Pugetbill (talk) 19:19, 18 April 2016 (UTC)

Proposed start of common 'reference' list (a 'living' document) on this talk page for Wikipedia editors updating the J. J. Johnson discography page

Most useful / authoritative(?) references used to confirm recording dates / contents:

• J. J. Johnson, A Comprehensive Discography… by Louis George Bourgois
• The Musical World of J. J. Johnson by Joshua Berret and Louis G. Bourgois III
• jazzdisco.org Jazz Discography Project
• www.discogs.com

J. J. Johnson recordings as leader or co-leader

Unless otherwise noted, all albums are 10 inch (25cm) or 12 inch (30cm) LPs.

Album Title (latest recording session date | and - if known - earliest release year, label number) – notes

• J. J. Johnson's Jazz Quintets (1949-05-11, Savoy MG 12106) – LP release of J. J. Johnson singles and EPs from 1946~49 including,
  • New Trends In Jazz, Vol. 11 [EP] (1946-06-26, Savoy XP 8047)
  • Birth of Bop, Vol. 3 [EP] (1947-12-24, Savoy XP 8086)
• Jay Jay Johnson Sextet [EP] (1949-05-26, Prestige EP 1330) – all tracks from this EP were also issued as 1/2 of the 12 inch LP,
  • Modern Jazz Trombones (1949-08-23, Prestige LP 109**)
• J. J. Johnson and Sonny Stitt [EP] (1949-10-17, Prestige EP 1332) – all tracks from this EP were also issued as 1/2 of two different 12 inch LPs,
  • Sonny Stitt/Bud Powell/J. J. Johnson (1950-01-26, Prestige LP 7024**)
  • Modern Jazz Trombones, Vol. 2 (1951-10-05, Prestige LP 123**)
• Jazz South Pacific (1952-01-17, Regent MG 6001) – with Howard McGhee, … - re-issue (Savoy MG 12205)
• Jay Jay Johnson with Clifford Brown, Jimmy Heath, … (1953-06-22 | 1953, Blue Note BLP 5028) – 10 inch LP. (all tracks re-issued, with alternate take 'bonus' tracks, on two 1955 Blue Note 12 inch LP compilation/re-issues):
  • The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson, Volume 1 (1955, BLP 1505)
  • The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson, Volume 2 (1955, BLP 1506)
• Jazz Workshop, Volume One: Trombone Rapport (1953-09-18 | 1953, Debut DLP 5) – with Kai Winding, Bennie Green, Willie Dennis
• Jazz Workshop, Volume Two: Trombone Rapport (1953-09-18 | 1955, Debut DLP 14) – with Kai Winding, Bennie Green, Willie Dennis
• Four Trombones (1953-09-18 | 1957, Debut DEB 126) – with Kai Winding, Bennie Green, Willie Dennis
  • Four Trombones…The Debut Recordings (1981, Prestige P 24097 / Debut Records VIJ 5004 M / Fantasy 6005 & 6008) – compilation double LP. Contains 8 of the 9 tracks originally released on the two Debut Jazz Workshop 10 inch LPs (DLP 5 and DLP 14) and the 12 inch Debut LP, Four Trombones (DEB 126). With Kai Winding, Bennie Green, Willie Dennis
• Jay and Kai (1954-08-26, Savoy MG 12010) – with Kai Winding. All material from this 12 inch LP was also released on two 10 inch LPs,
  • Jay and Kai (1954-08-26, Savoy MG 15038) – with Kai Winding
  • Jay and Kai Vol. 2 (1952-03-04, Savoy MG 15048) – with Kai Winding
• The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson, Vol. 2 (1954-09-24 | 1954, Blue Note BLP 5057) – 10 inch LP. (All tracks re-issued on the 1955 12 inch LP compilation/re-issues, The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume 1 (BLP 1505) and (one track only) The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume 2 (BLP 1506))
• An Afternoon at Birdland (1954-10-17, RCA/X LXA 1040, RCA PL 42069) – with Kai Winding
• Jay And Kai, Dec. 3, 1954 (1954-12-03, Prestige LP 195) – with Kai Winding
• K + J.J., East Coast Jazz Series #7 (1955-01-27, Bethlehem BCP-13 / BCP-6001) – with Kai Winding. Later re-issued as 'Nuf Said, etc.
• The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson, Vol. 3 (1955-06-06 | 1955, Blue Note BLP 5070) – 10 inch LP. (all tracks re-issued, with three alternate take 'bonus' tracks, on the 1955 12 inch LP compilation/re-issue, The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume 2 (BLP 1506))
• Trombone for Two (1955-06-24, Columbia CL 742) – with Kai Winding
• Jay and Kai + 6 (The Jay and Kai Trombone Octet) (1956-04-06, Columbia CL 892) – with Kai Winding
• Dave Brubeck and Jay and Kai at Newport (1956-07-06, Columbia CL 932**) – with Kai Winding
• Jay and Kai (1956-07-13, Columbia CL 973) – with Kai Winding
• J is for Jazz (1956-07-27, Columbia CL 935)
• First Place (1957-04-12, Columbia CL 1030)
• Blue Trombone (1957-05-03, Columbia CL 1303)
• Dial J. J. 5 (1957-05-14, Columbia CL 1084)
• Stan Getz and J. J. Johnson at the Opera House (1957-10-19, Verve MGV 8265)
• J. J. In Person (1958-02-19, Columbia CL 1161)
• Mr. Jay Jay Johnson - Live! (1957-01-26 ~ "c. 1958" Queen Disc Q 046) – 1985 Italian LP release of previously unissued(?) 1957/1958 live recordings
• Really Livin' (1959-03-24, Columbia CL 1383)
• Trombone and Voices (1960-06-28, Columbia CL 1547)
• J.J. Inc. (1960-08-03, Columbia CL 1606)
• The Great Kai & J. J. (1960-11-09, Impulse! A 1) – with Kai Winding
• A Touch of Satin (1961-01-12, Columbia CL 1737)
• Andre Previn and J.J. Johnson Play Kurt Weill (1961-12-??, Columbia CL 1741)
• J. J.'s Broadway (1963-04-06, Verve V6 8530)
• Proof Positive (1964-05-01, Impulse! A 68)
• J. J.! (1964-12-09, RCA LPM 3350)
• Goodies (1965-07-20, RCA LPM 3458)
• Broadway Express (1965-12-17, RCA LPM 3544)
• The Cape Verdean Blues, The Horace Silver Quartet plus J. J. Johnson (1965-10-22, Blue Note BLP 4220**)
• The Total J. J. Johnson (1966-12-05, RCA LPM 3833)
• K & JJ, Israel (1968-04-16, A&M SP 3008) – with Kai Winding
• J & K, Betwixt & Between (1969-01-09, A&M SP 3016) – with Kai Winding
• Stonebone (1969-09-25, A&M AML 330 / CTI Records AML 330) – with Kai Winding
• J.J. Johnson and Nat Adderley - The Yokohama Concert (1977-04-20 | 1978, Pablo 2620 109) – live, double LP
• Chain Reaction: Yokohama Concert, Vol. 2 (1977-04-20 | 2002, Pablo PACD 2620 121 2) – with Nat Adderley
• Pinnacles (1979-09-19, Milestone M 9093)
• Concepts in Blue (1980-09-26, Pablo 2312 123)
• Aurex Jazz Festival ’82 - All Star Jam (1982-09-05, East World EWJ 80238 / Somethin' Else TOCJ 8020) – with Clarke Terry, Kai Winding, Dexter Gordon,… . Johnson also appears on 3 tracks on
  • Aurex Jazz Festival '82 - Live Special (1982-09-02, East World EWJ 80255) – from the same 1982 Japanese concert series
• Jackson, Johnson, Brown and Company (1983-05-25, Pablo 2310 897) – with Milt Jackson and Ray Brown
• We'll Be Together Again (1983-10-26, Pablo 2310 911) – with Joe Pass
• Things are Getting Better All the Time (1983-11-29, Pablo 2312 141) – with Al Grey
• Quintergy, Live at the Village Vanguard (1988-07-10 | 1991, Antilles 422 848214 2)
• Standards, Live at the Village Vanguard (1988-07-10 | 1991, Antilles 314 510059 2)
• Vivian (1992-06-03, Concord Jazz ‎CCD 4523)
• Let's Hang Out (1992-12-09, Verve Records 314 514454 2)
• Tangence, with the Robert Farnon Orchestra (1994-07-15, Verve / Gitanes Jazz Productions 314 526588 2)
• The Brass Orchestra (1996-09-27, Verve Records 314 537321 2)
• Heroes (1996-11-18, Verve Records 314 528684 2)

**J.J. Johnson as leader or co-leader on 1/2 of album only. i.e. Johnson does not appear on one side of LP

How best to classify albums where J. J. Johnson is neither a clear leader / co-leader nor a "sideman"?

How best to classify "All Star" albums like:

• Jazz South Pacific (1952-01-17, Regent MG 6001) – with Howard McGhee, … - re-issue (Savoy MG 12205)
• Jazz Workshop, Volume One: Trombone Rapport (1953-09-18 | 1953, Debut DLP 5) – with Kai Winding, Bennie Green, Willie Dennis
• Jazz Workshop, Volume Two: Trombone Rapport (1953-09-18 | 1955, Debut DLP 14) – with Kai Winding, Bennie Green, Willie Dennis
• Four Trombones (1953-09-18 | 1957, Debut DEB 126) – with Kai Winding, Bennie Green, Willie Dennis
  • Four Trombones…The Debut Recordings (1981, Prestige P 24097 / Debut Records VIJ 5004 M / Fantasy 6005 & 6008) – compilation double LP. Contains 8 of the 9 tracks originally released on the two Debut Jazz Workshop 10 inch LPs (DLP 5 and DLP 14) and the 12 inch Debut LP, Four Trombones (DEB 126). With Kai Winding, Bennie Green, Willie Dennis
• The Birdlanders, Volume 1 (1954-03-21, Period SPL 1211) - with Henri Renaud, Al Cohn, Milt Jackson, …
• The Birdlanders, Volume 2 (1954-03-21, Period SPL 1212) - with Henri Renaud, Al Cohn, Milt Jackson, …
• The Birdlanders, Volume 3 (1954-03-21, Period SPL 1213) - with Henri Renaud, Al Cohn, Milt Jackson, …
• Aurex Jazz Festival ’82 - All Star Jam (1982-09-05, East World EWJ 80238 / Somethin' Else TOCJ 8020) – with Clarke Terry, Kai Winding, Dexter Gordon,… . Johnson also appears on 3 tracks on
  • Aurex Jazz Festival '82 - Live Special (1982-09-02, East World EWJ 80255) – from the same 1982 Japanese concert series

Unless there is a Wikipedia consensus otherwise, I would presume that it is acceptable - for the purposes of this Wikipedia discography listing - to classify J. J. Johnson as a "co-leader" of the above albums in which he is clearly not a "sideman" and plays on at least half of the tracks of the album. ??? By this definition, Johnson would not 'qualify' as a co-leader on The Birdlanders,..., albums. i.e. he would be considered 'just' one of several contributors to a "Various Artists" album (since Johnson never appears on more than 2 or 3 tracks of any of the original LP releases). Of course, determining the 'level' of each musician's contribution (co-leader vs. sideman?) on some "All Star" albums is not always simple either.
Pugetbill (talk) 20:10, 22 April 2016 (UTC)