Enigma – J.J. Johnson

A tender, memorable ballad, Enigma is one of J.J. Johnson's most important compositions. We're proud to offer the original—our lead sheet is from J.J.'s own manuscript indicating exactly how he conceived of the melody.

As background, J.J. originally wrote Enigma in C concert, a key with a bright sound. However, his first arrangement was for a Miles Davis recording, where the melody was in D-flat, sounding darker and more subdued.

We don't have a recording of Enigma in C concert. Our audio excerpt is from J.J.'s sextet arrangement for Miles. It starts with J.J.'s four-measure intro which, ingeniously, comes from the first four measures of the C (concert) bridge. The melody enters immediately after in D-flat concert.

For J.J.'s classic Miles Davis sextet arrangement, see our Second Floor Music Enigma sextet. That arrangement adds a double-time-feel extension at the end of the second and last A sections which other artists have also used in their recordings. You now have the option to experience Enigma from two important perspectives, the original lead sheet on jazzleadsheets.com and J.J.'s marvelous arrangement.

The many recordings of Enigma show its versatility as a composition. Twelve years after the first recording, Milt Jackson recorded it on his album "Milt Jackson At The Museum Of Modern Art." Al Haig later recorded it three times between 1974 and 1975. Enigma went on to become something of a modern standard with jazz artists, having been recorded many times since 1953 by a wide variety of artists such as Ralph Moore, Ryan Kisor, Steve Turre, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Michael Weiss, Michael Benedict and Vic Lewis. J.J. didn't record it as a leader himself until 1996 on The Brass Orchestra, where he commissioned Slide Hampton to write a new arrangement.