Editing J. J. Johnson (section)

===Solo career===
Following the mid-1950s collaboration with Winding, J.&nbsp;J. Johnson began leading his own touring small groups for about three years, covering the United States, United Kingdom and Scandinavia. These groups (ranging from quartets to sextets) included tenor saxophonists [[Bobby Jaspar]] and [[Clifford Jordan]], cornetist [[Nat Adderley]], trumpeter [[Freddie Hubbard]], pianists [[Tommy Flanagan (musician)|Tommy Flanagan]] and [[Cedar Walton]], and drummers [[Elvin Jones]], [[Albert "Tootie" Heath]], and Roach. In 1957, he recorded the quartet albums ''[[First Place]]'' and ''[[Blue Trombone]]'', with Flanagan, Paul Chambers and Roach. He also toured with the [[Jazz at the Philharmonic]] show in 1957 and 1960, the first tour yielding a live album, featuring Johnson and tenor saxophonist [[Stan Getz]]. In 1958–59, Johnson was one of three plaintiffs in a court case which hastened the abolition of the [[New York City Cabaret Card|cabaret card]] system.<ref name="aaj" />

This period overlaps with the beginnings of Johnson's serious forays into [[Third Stream]] music (see below). Periods of writing and recording his music would alternate with tours demanding attention to his playing.

Following the six months he spent writing ''Perceptions'' (see below), Johnson entered the studio for a date with [[André Previn]]'s trio (adding Johnson as the only horn). They recorded an entire album of the music of [[Kurt Weill]], released as ''Andre Previn and J.&nbsp;J. Johnson Play 'Mack The Knife' and Other Kurt Weill Songs''. In 1962, Johnson toured for a number of months with Davis' sextet of that year, which went unrecorded.

Johnson's 1963 album ''[[J.&nbsp;J.'s Broadway]]'' is an example of both his mature [[trombone]] style and sound, and his arranging abilities. Johnson's album ''[[Proof Positive (album)|Proof Positive]]'' (1964) was the last recording of his working band for over 20 years. Beginning in 1965, Johnson recorded a number of large group studio albums under his name, featuring many of his own compositions and arrangements. The late 1960s saw a radical downturn in the fortunes of many jazz musicians, and Johnson was consequently heard almost exclusively on big band-style studio records, usually backing a single soloist.