The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson - Volume 2
Released - 1955
Recording and Session Information
Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ, September 24, 1954
Jay Jay Johnson, trombone; Wynton Kelly, piano; Charles Mingus, bass; Kenny Clarke, drums; "Sabu" Martinez, congas #1-3,6.
tk.2 Too Marvelous For Words
tk.4 Jay
tk.5 Old Devil Moon
tk.7 It's You Or No One
tk.10 Time After Time
tk.11 Coffee Pot
Track Listing
| Side One | ||
| Title | Author | Recording Date |
| Jay | Jay Jay Johnson | September 24 1954 |
| Time After Time | Styne-Cahn | September 24 1954 |
| Old Devil Moon | Lane-Harburg | September 24 1954 |
| Side Two | ||
| Too Marvelous For Words | Mercer-Whiting | September 24 1954 |
| It's You Or No One | Styne-Cahn | September 24 1954 |
| Coffee Pot | Jay Jay Johnson | September 24 1954 |
Liner Notes
Notes from 5070
In this unusual session Jay Jay maintains the musical interest of the group, participating as the only horn man involved and changing the overall sound by the inclusion of Sabu Martinez. Sabu is one of the younger generation in the Afro-Cuban drum dynasty of which Chano Pozo may be said to have been the founding father. Wynton Kelly, the pianist, is a youthful star born in December, 1931, in Jamaica, B.W.I. Both before and after his Army service, which ended in June, 1954, he was a member of Dizzy Gillespie's combo. Wynton was featured in his own LP on BLP 5025. The rhythm section is completed by Kenny Clarke and the very able Charlie Mingus.
Jay is an up-tempo blues in which Wynton, Jay Jay and Sabu are all heard to an advantage and ingenious use is made of modulations.
Time After Time was one of the better pop songs of 1947 (you may remember having heard Sarah Vaughan do it). Here it makes a fine solo vehicle for Jay Jay in one of his more melodic moods.
Old Devil Moon, a 1946 product of Finian's Rainbow, starts in a mysterioso style with a captivating introduction in which Mingus sets a vamp. Sabu keeps busy throughout, Wynton has some very Cuban moments, and generally the tune is invested with a new and unconventional spirit.
Too Marvelous for Words. Two things to watch for are. first, the fine balance and blend between the two drummers, and second, the effective use of rhythmic breaks at three-beat intervals behind some passages of Jay Jay's solo.
The 1948 song It's You Or No One, like Time After Time, is a Julie Styne-Sammy Cohn opus first introduced to jazz lovers by Sarah Vaughan. The unexpected key change in the second eight measures undoubtedly explain why this tune appeals so much to musicians.
Coffee Pot, a fast-moving 32-bar original by Johnson, features him on the second chorus accompanied by iust Mingus and Clarke. Wynton Kelly's choruses seem to show some Bud Powell influence, plus his own brand of single-line originality.
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