J.J. Johnson led sessions for Blue Note from June 20, 1953 to June 6, 1955. This shot was taken during his last session, which featured Hank Mobley, Horace Silver, Paul Chambers and Kenny Clarke. J.J. left the stage in the late 1960s to score for film and TV, returning to the stage in 1977, where he played at the peak of his powers until just before his death in 2001.