James Louis "J. J." Johnson was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. Johnson's work in the 1940s and 1950s demonstrated that the slide trombone could be played in the bebop style; as trombonist Steve Turre has summarized, "J. J. did for the trombone what Charlie Parker did for the saxophone. And all of us that are playing today wouldn't be playing the way we're playing if it wasn't for what he did. And not only, of course, is he the master of the trombone - the definitive master of this century- but, as a composer and arranger, he is in the top shelf as well". From the mid-1950s on, Johnson was a perennial polling favorite in jazz circles, even winning "Trombonist of the Year" in Down Beat magazine during years he was not active. He was voted into the Down Beat Hall of Fame in 1995.

J. J. Johnson, also known as Jay Jay Johnson, was an American jazz trombonist, bandleader, arranger and composer. For this release J.J. Johnson teams up with trumpet legend Clifford Brown, saxophonist Jimmy Heath, pianist John Lewis, bassist Percy Heath and drummer Kenny Clarke. The six track EP was originally released in 1953 under Blue Note Records and features tracks "Lover Man", "It Could Happen to You" and "Get Happy". Clifford Brown steals the spotlight from Johnson in this EP with his complex harmonic progressions and up-tempo expertise.