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Jo Jones
Papa Jo Jones was the drum anchor in the famous All American Rhythm Section by way of his work with Count Basie's band. Jones redefined the concept of a drummer. He lightened up on the four-beats-to-the-bar standard of bass drum playing, was possibly the first to use the ride cymbal as the main timekeeping accessory, and did all with a graceful and light touch. In the history of jazz, Jo Jones was one of the most outstanding drummers, full of sensitivity and style, in addition to an absolutely perfect drumming technique, he really knew, as very few other jazz musicians do, the history of his music.
Jonathan Jones, was born 7 Oct. 1911,in Chicago. He studied music for years, also played piano, reeds and trumpet; then went to Kansas City in 1933, teamed up with Count Basie in 1934 and after a short off on period through 1936, rejoined and stayed until 1948 except while in the US Army. It was in his tenure with Basie on piano, Freddie Green on guitar, and Walter Page on bass, that Jo Jones made and established his enduring reputation.
He minimized the use of the bass drum and kept time on the top cymbal, freeing the drum kit to do more than simply mark time: Kenny Clarke, Max Roach and others developed this in the bop era of the '40s. He was not the only Swing Era drummer to practice the new, lighter concentration on the cymbal, and in later years constant beating of the cymbal by other drummers was often irritating (sometimes because badly recorded); but he did it with such finesse, humour and good taste (rarely taking solos) that he was the most influential of his generation: the rhythm section of the Basie band in its classic years swung like a light, well-oiled machine, and he lifted every session he played on.
He made record dates with Teddy Wilson, and Lionel Hampton, in the years '37 through ‘38, with the Benny Goodman sextet in '41, later appeared on albums with Buck Clayton, Sonny Stitt, Ruby Braff, Paul Quinichette, Coleman Hawkins, Jimmy Rushing, Illinois Jacquet, and Nat Pierce.
Jones toured Europe with Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peterson '57; and with Jazz at the Philharmonic that year. He led own trios in New York from '57 to ’60, and did some fine dates for Everest in that period as “Jo Jones Trio,” and “Vamp Till Ready,” and “Percussion and Brass.” He somehow also found time to teach and run a music shop.
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Paul Quinichette: Like Basie
by C. Andrew Hovan
Like any business concerned with making a profit, the record industry has often resorted to questionable concepts, tributes, or other hooks to lure more costumers to their product. Currently we find ourselves in an era where the quality of original music is arguably on the decline, thus it has become even more prevalent to use nostalgia as a selling point. While ghost bands and one-off tributes may be a way to bring a new audience to the music of some ...
read moreRifftide: The Life and Opinions of Papa Jo Jones
by David A. Orthmann
Rifftide: The Life and Opinions of Papa Jo JonesAs told to Albert Murray. Edited by Paul Devlin.200 pagesISBN:978-0-8166-7301-8University of Minnesota Press2011Rifftide is a slim volume subtitled The Life and Opinions of Papa Jo Jones. Best known for his long tenure with the Count Basie Orchestra, Papa Jo Jones is arguably the most influential drummer in the history of jazz. Throughout the book, Jones speaks with absolute certainty. His ...
read moreRifftide: The Life and Opinions of Papa Jo Jones
by AAJ Staff
This article appears in Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 of Rifftide: The Life and Opinions of Papa Jo Jones By Papa Jo Jones As Told to Albert Murray (University of Minnesota Press, 2011). A Different Kind of Living in That Southwest Here is what happened. Basie did exactly what Fats Waller did: all the guys that come under James P. Johnson, you know what I mean, and Willie “The Lion" Smith, they stayed playing that Harlem ...
read morePaul Quinichette & His Basie-ites: Like Basie
by Nic Jones
Like Basie has already seen the light of day in the CD era as an OJC release, but given its qualities, its reappearance here is welcome anyway. Paul Quinichette's career was perhaps more dogged than aided by the lazy “Vice-Pres" tag that was placed upon him because of his stylistic allegiance to Lester Young. As ever the details of the matter were somewhat different. His work was in fact rhythmically far less oblique, whilst the timbre of his playing was ...
read moreJo Jones: The Everest Years
by David Rickert
Jo Jones's reputation rests solely on his stint with Count Basie, but that's like saying that Humphrey Bogart is known only for his acting. Jones, along with Freddie Green, Walter Page, and Basie, virtually invented the concept of swing. As a unit, they powered the Basie band through a series of top-notch records. But what did Jones do after that?
For one thing, he recorded a few albums as a leader. These sessions, done for the Everest label ...
read moreFour Videos: Papa Jo Jones
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
Few drummers make me smile more than Jo Jones. Jones began playing in the 1920s and is probably best known for playing with Count Basie's earliest band in 1934. He was one of the first drummers to make use of the brushes and among the first to steer timekeeping away from the bass drum and turn it over to the hi-hat cymbal, producing what today is jazz's familiar modern sound. In short, he was the Louis Armstrong of the drum ...
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Jo Jones: The Drums, 1973
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
We tend to think of jazz drummers simply as guys who are fast with a set of sticks or brushes and good at keeping time. But like all great jazz musicians, the best drummers know the instrument's long history and the styles of all those who came before them. This was especially true of Jo Jones, who pioneered new ways of the drums while in Count Basie's band starting in 1936. Jones took on the honorific “Papa" in later years ...
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Enter the "Rifftide: The Life and Opinions of Papa Jo Jones" Giveaway at All About Jazz!
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All About Jazz
The life and times of Papa Jo Jones, gifted raconteur and one of the greatest drummers in the history of jazz
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Anne Klingbeil
Rifftide: The Life and Opinions of Papa Jo Jones By Papa Jo Jones As Told to Albert Murray Edited by Paul Devlin Afterword by Phil Schaap University of Minnesota Press Available: October 2011 The things that I have, I'll give to you. This is my legacy with you, Albert. This is my last hoo-rah. So begins the autobiography of Jonathan David Samuel Jones—or as the world better knows ...
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Jo Jones
Instrument: Drums
Born: October 7, 1911
Died: 1985
