The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson, Vols. 1 & 2

'The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson, Vols. 1 & 2' are a pair of separate but related compilation albums by American jazz trombonist J. J. Johnson, recorded over three sessions between 1953 and 1955 and released on Blue Note in 1956.

Recording and production
Johnson recorded three session for Blue Note—one with Doug Hawkins in New York City on June 22, 1953 and two with Rudy Van Gelder at his home studio in Hackensack, New Jersey on September 24, 1954 and June 6, 1955—resulting in three ten-inches: Jay Jay Johnson with Clifford Brown (1953), The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume 2 (1954), and The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume 3 (1955), respectively.

Personal life
At the time of the 1953 recording session, Johnson had withdrawn from full-time playing to work as a blueprint inspector.

Release history
After 10"s lost the format war, Blue Note began reissuing its Modern Jazz Series on 12"s. The three sessions were subsequently recompiled across The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson, Volume 1 (BLP 1505) and The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson, Volume 2 (BLP 1506).

The two volumes were recompiled for their CD reissue, restoring the track listing of the original 10"s, placing Vol. 1 (BLP 2028) on Volume 1, and Vol. 2 (BLP 5057) and Vol. 3 (BLP 5070) on Volume 2.

Reception
The AllMusic review of Volume 1 by Scott Yanow states, "Although Johnson has a couple of features, Clifford Brown largely steals the show".

The AllMusic review of Volume 2 by Stephen Cook states, "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 ... a bop classic."

The Penguin Guide to Jazz awarded both volumes four-out-of-four stars, and the first volume a "Crown", calling calling it "one of the central documents of post-war jazz."

2001 CD reissues

 * The 1989/1997 Blue Note CD re-issues include the same content as the 2001 CD, but the tracks are arranged chronologically by recording date.

June 22, 1953

 * J.J. Johnson – trombone
 * Clifford Brown – trumpet (except "It Could Happen to You")
 * Jimmy Heath – tenor and baritone saxophones (except "It Could Happen to You")
 * John Lewis – piano
 * Percy Heath – bass
 * Kenny Clarke – drums

September 24, 1954

 * J.J. Johnson – trombone
 * Wynton Kelly – piano
 * Charles Mingus – bass
 * Kenny Clarke – drums
 * Sabu Martinez – congas (except "It's You or No One" and "Time After Time")

June 6, 1955

 * J.J. Johnson – trombone
 * Hank Mobley – tenor saxophone
 * Horace Silver – piano
 * Paul Chambers – bass
 * Kenny Clarke – drums

Original

 * Alfred Lion – producer
 * Doug Hawkins (1953) – recording engineer
 * Rudy Van Gelder (1954, 1955) – recording engineer
 * John Hermansader – cover design
 * Francis Wolff – photography
 * Bob Blumenthal – liner notes

Reissue

 * Michael Cuscuna – reissue producer
 * Gordon H Jee – creative director
 * Rudy Van Gelder – 2001 remaster
 * Ron McMaster – digital transfers