Legendary trombonist honored in 'Jazz Fables' show

Bear's Place will be more sacrosanct tonight than one might normally expect of a bar on a Thursday evening. The weekly Jazz Fables concert will feature a tribute to J.J Johnson, one of the foremost trombone players of the Bebop era.\nBebop, a style of jazz that came out of Harlem during the World War II era, is distinguished by its fast and difficult solo sections. \nJohnson is renowned for his incorporation of the trombone into the Bebop idiom. The sheer distance a trombone player has to cover to change notes was considered an impediment to the kind of quick playing typical of the style.\nThis tribute will be led by Professor David Baker on cello, along with Linda Baker on flute, Tom Walsh on sax, David Miller on trumpet, Luke Gillespie on piano, Joel Kelsey on bass and Deno Sanders on drums. \nThe tribute has a personal significance for Baker.\n"J.J was a teacher and a close friend," Baker said. Johnson and Baker attended the same high school.\nIt might seem unusual that a tribute to a great trombone player would be played by a band with no trombones. Baker himself was a trombonist early in his career until an injury forced him to give it up. It was then that he picked up the cello.\n"I started on the cello because it has the same range and the same general color as the trombone," Baker said. "I'll be J.J's stand-in for this concert, in as much as that is possible."\nThe concert will consist of classics by Johnson, such as "Kelo", "Short Cake" and "Sweet Georgia Gillespie", as well as new arrangements of his tunes by Baker.\n"J.J. was a classy person and it showed in his playing and it shows in his tunes," said sax player Tom Walsh.\nAlthough the concert is to honor a past jazz legend, Baker himself holds a reputation equal to that of Johnson and is held in very high regard by colleagues and students alike. \n"I'm pleased to play with such a person as Mr. Baker," drummer Deno Sanders said. "He's really a living legend. I was under his tutelage for eight years as a student, and it's a pleasure to still be in his company."\nThe Jazz Fables series has been in existence for about 25 years, and Baker has great respect for David Miller, who started the series.\n"We would all be greatly impoverished people if David (Miller) hadn't done what he did," Baker said. "Nobody is more dedicated to the preservation of this music than him."\nBaker is emphatic about the value of these tribute concerts to keep the music of the great performers alive. \n"People have short memories," Baker said. "I want to keep (J.J.'s) name in people's consciousness."\nThis non-smoking concert will begin at 5:30 p.m., tonight at Bear's Place, near the corner of 3rd St. and Jordan Ave. Admission is $7. \n-- Contact staff writer Claire Blaustein at cblauste@indiana.edu.