He has worked with Chick Corea, Karin Krog, Kenny Wheeler, Steve Swallow, Lars Jansson, Hal Galper, Siri Gellein, and Jan Gunnar Hoff.

As a teenager, he played in the Bodø Jazz Quintet with his brother Roger Johansen and saxophonist Atle Nymo.

He has performed with Swedish pianist Lars Jansson and the Finnish alto saxophonist Jukka Perko.

With American pianist Hal Galper he recorded at Norwegian radio NRK P2 for the program Jazzklubben (2004) from the jazz club Blå in Oslo.

Johansen has also worked extensively in a duo format with pianist Vigleik Storaas, documented on Rainbow Session (2007).