First Place

First Place
Studio album by J. J. Johnson
Released	1957
Recorded	April 11, 12 & 26, 1957
Studio	Columbia Studios, Studio A and Columbia 30th Street Studios, NYC
Genre	Jazz
Label	Columbia CL 1030
Producer	Cal Lampley
J. J. Johnson chronology
J Is for Jazz (1956)J Is for Jazz1956 First Place (1957) Blue Trombone (1957)Blue Trombone1957

First Place is an album by the J. J. Johnson Quartet which was released on the Columbia label.^[1][2][3][4]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[5]

Allmusic awarded the album 4 stars stating "Bop is their thing, and Johnson's flawless lines on his trombone were never more in evidence than on this stupendous effort... Johnson's smaller ensemble dates have stood the test of time as perhaps his best ever -- which is debatable, considering all his fine work, but First Place is indisputably brilliant".^[5]

Track listing

All compositions by J. J. Johnson except where noted.

1. "It's Only a Paper Moon" (Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg) - 5:01
2. "Paul's Pal" (Sonny Rollins) - 4:04
3. "For Heaven's Sake" (Elise Bretton, Sherman Edwards, Donald Meyer) – 3:02
4. "Commutation" - 5:15
5. "Harvey's House" - 2:59
6. "That Tired Routine Called Love" (Matt Dennis) - 5:12
7. "Be My Love" (Nicholas Brodszky, Sammy Cahn) - 3:00
8. "Cry Me a River" (Arthur Hamilton) - 5:51
9. "Nickels and Dimes" - 4:54

• Recorded at Columbia Studios, Studio A, NYC on April 11, 1957 (tracks 2, 3, 5, 6 & 9), April 12, 1957 (tracks 1, 4 & 7) and at Columbia 30th Street Studios, NYC on April 26, 1957 (track 8).

Personnel

• J. J. Johnson – trombone
• Tommy Flanagan – piano
• Paul Chambers – bass
• Max Roach – drums

References