No
less an authority than Robin Eubanks thinks modern trombonists owe J.J. Johnson
a share of every dollar they've ever made. J.J. was the guy who proved that the trombone's inherent
limitations could be overcome and adapted to the language and tempos of post-swing
era jazz. He made it possible for
everyone after him to actually earn a living with this thing.
J.J.
didn't just play fast. For me, he's always been an unreachable goal of apparent
effortlessness and perfect intonation at any speed. From a just playing the
trombone standpoint, the thing about J.J. is that it all sounds so deceptively easy. In a nutshell, he's had a bigger
influence on the way his instrument is played than any other musician on any
other instrument.