by Paul Klemperer

Drummer J.J. Johnson has been making his presence felt in the Austin scene since the early 1990s. A native of San Antonio, he played a variety of gigs in Austin with Chris Duarte and Billy White before the charms of our fair city finally won him over and he relocated in 1994. Since then he has been a major player here, most notably with Elias Haslanger, Hot Buttered Rhythm, and Charlie and Will Sexton's Sextet. In every situation he shows marked creative energy and versatility.

Johnson was born in San Antonio, but his family is from Louisiana, and he spent a fair amount of time there growing up. It was a musical family (trumpeter Terrence Blanchard is his cousin), and he was surrounded by music growing up. He remembers his father ("a huge James Brown fan") taking him to a James Brown concert when he was only two years old. His father played trumpet, though not professionally, and had a big record collection, particularly jazz and Motown.

Though his father bought him a toy drum set on which he worked out, Johnson's early musical yearning was for guitar. However, in high school he was encouraged to play drums (a teacher must have heard those nascent drum chops) and developed his skills in high school band, as well as various rock n' roll garage bands. By age 16 he was playing out around town.

Later schooling included theory and piano courses at San Antonio College, but the schedule conflict between school and gigging eventually forced him to choose. He spent a year in New Orleans, playing the local clubs and absorbing the distinct musical nuances of that city. He wants to return to school "eventually" but his playing schedule seems busier than ever. Meanwhile, he is continuing his musical education, trying to "grow as a complete musician" and develop a "complete awareness." His musical goals include learning guitar, writing songs and, in general, "to learn as many instruments as possible."

When I asked him about musical influences, Johnson recalled that one of the first records which really affected him was a John Coltrane compilation belonging to his father. He named a wide range of general influences besides Coltrane, including Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, and singer/songwriter Nick Drake. When I asked more specifically about drummers, he acknowledged that there were so many, but "off the top of my head Elvin Jones, Roy Haynes, Jon Bonham, Max Roach, Ed Blackwell, and tabla player Zakir Hussain."

Johnson's plans for the near future include recording an album with the Sexton Brothers' Sextet. Also, a tour with Hot Buttered Rhythm is tentatively scheduled for later in the summer.

I had to ask if there was any connection to trombonist J.J. Johnson. Surprisingly, there is none, though he gets asked that a lot. Growing up he was just called "JJ" by his family and it stuck. If you want to know what the initials stand for, you have to ask him yourself; it's strictly off the record.