Jazz Reviews : J.J. Johnson Back on Track at Catalina Bar & Grill

Everything worth doing right takes time, even for someone as gifted as J. J. Johnson. The undisputed father of modern jazz trombone, Johnson about a year ago decided to put down his pen and pick up his horn full-time--he’d spent about 20 years writing for, and playing in, the studios--and it’s taken him a year to get back on track.

The set Johnson delivered Tuesday at Catalina Bar & Grill was the kind one would expect to hear from a reigning jazz master. The selection of Johnson originals ranged from an updated version of 1946’s “Coppin’ the Bop” and a mid-’60s “Shortcake” to the freshly minted and quite expressive “Quintergy.”

These tunes were given relaxed, warm airings by a quintet composed of saxophonist Ralph Moore and bassist Rufus Reid, two unique and evolving voices, and pianist Renee Rosnes and drummer Louis Nash. The latter pair, substitutes for regulars Stanley Cowell and Victor Lewis, played with succinct professionalism.

On “Shortcake,” the medium opener, the leader went from long, fat notes to bunches of shorter ones squeezed into small spaces, all this contrasted by vaulting chords. Here Moore employed his light, buoyant sound on complex yet pretty lines that told an ear-pleasing tale.

Clifford Brown’s “Blues Walk” revealed that Johnson’s renowned facility and ability to cook are firmly intact and the ballad “You’ve Changed” proved that his tone is as sweet as ever. On the latter, Reid accompanied the trombonist with gorgeous notes that hung behind the trombonist like clouds.

“Coppin’ ” found Rosnes playing with fluidity and smoothness; then Johnson created heat as he worked over stop-time passages that were deftly set up by the rhythm section. Moore, a former Coltrane devotee who is becoming his own man, again managed to play intense, interesting lines in a most sweet and singing way.

Johnson, who continues at Catalina through Sunday, demonstrates that a mainstream musician can work from his tradition and yet remain contemporary and vital.