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Steph Johnson

"Steph is an amazing musician," says iconic jazz guitarist Peter Sprague. "What a voice: super soulful and the color of her sound is rich and engaging. I love that she's going full-out playing jazz and playing great guitar, too. Her spirit as a person -- super fun and spontaneous -- brings her whole gift to the planet together. She's a hero!"

"She works really, really hard at it," says Thorsen. "Also, she's fearless. When she gets up there, she just goes for it."

Indeed, Johnson takes her guitar everywhere. She disappeared recently from a party -- sneaking away to get some practice in -- where she ran into the host, internationally acclaimed bassist Mark Dresser. Soon, the two of them were jamming on the warhorse "Caravan."

"I think Steph has the potential to go really far," Dresser said in a recent email. "It will be fun to watch, root and cheer her on."

So, how is she navigating the transition from the girl nobody thought could do it to the open arms of the San Diego jazz community?

"I do think about it," Johnson says, her voice quavering. "I'm so grateful to be here, and alive, and I so appreciate the support of Rob, Fernando and people like Peter and Mark. I feel like I'm on a mission from God -- and I'm not talking about a God in a church -- but like a God-of-the-universe-type thing."