Jo Jones

Jo Jones October 7 1911 – September 3 1985 Was An American Jazz Drummer. Known As Papa Jo Jones In His Later Years He Was Sometimes Confused With Another Influential Jazz Drummer Philly Joe Jones. The Two Died Only A Few Days Apart. Born Jonathan David Samuel Jones In Chicago Illinois He Moved To Alabama Where He Learned To Play Several Instruments Including Saxophone Piano And Drums. He Worked As A Drummer And Tap-Dancer At Carnival Shows Until Joining Walter Page's Band The Blue Devils In Oklahoma City In The Late 1920s. He Recorded With Trumpeter Lloyd Hunter's Serenaders In 1931 And Later Joined Pianist Count Basie's Band In 1934. Jones Basie Guitarist Freddie Green And Bassist Walter Page Were Sometimes Billed As An 'all-American Rhythm Section'. Jones Took A Brief Break For Two Years When He Was In The Military But He Remained With Basie Until 1948. He Participated In The Jazz At The Philharmonic Concert Series.
He Was One Of The First Drummers To Promote The Use Of Brushes On Drums And Shifting The Role Of Timekeeping From The Bass Drum To The Hi-Hat Cymbal. Jones Had A Major Influence On Later Drummers Such As Buddy Rich Kenny Clarke Roy Haynes Max Roach And Louie Bellson. He Also Starred In Several Films Most Notably The Musical Short Jammin' The Blues 1944 .
Jones Performed Regularly In Later Years At The West End Jazz Club At 116th And Broadway In New York City. These Performances Were Generally Very Well Attended By Other Drummers Such As Max Roach And Roy Haynes. In Addition To His Artistry On The Drums Jones Was Known For His Irascible Combative Temperament.
In Contrast To Drummer Gene Krupa's Loud Insistent Pounding Of The Bass Drum On Each Beat Jones Often Omitted Bass Drum Playing Altogether. Jones Also Continued A Ride Rhythm On Hi-Hat While It Was Continuously Opening And Closing Instead Of The Common Practice Of Striking It While It Was Closed. Jones's Style Influenced The Modern Jazz Drummer's Tendency To Play Timekeeping Rhythms On A Suspended Cymbal That Is Now Known As The Ride Cymbal.
In 1979 Jones Was Inducted Into The Alabama Jazz Hall Of Fame For His Contribution To The Birmingham Alabama Musical Heritage. Jones Was The 1985 Recipient Of An American Jazz Masters Fellowship Awarded By The National Endowment For The Arts. Discography As Leader
1955 The Jo Jones Special
1957 At Newport Live
1959 Jo Jones Plus Two
1973 The Drums
1976 The Main Man
1985 Our Man Papa Jo! As Sideman A.O.
With Coleman Hawkins
The Hawk Flies High 1957 With Oscar Peterson
The Oscar Peterson Trio With Sonny Stitt Roy Eldridge And Jo Jones At Newport 1957 With Ella Fitzgerald
Ella At The Opera House 1958 With Ben Webster
Ben Webster And Associates Verve 1959 “One Thing For Sure. Anyone Who Plays Drums Or Supposedly Appreciates Drumming Should Experience Jo Jones.” – Buddy Rich read less