Jo Jones

Biography

Jo Jones shifted the timekeeping part from the drums through the bass drum towards the hi-hat cymbal, greatly influencing all golf swing and bop drummers. Friend Affluent and Louie Bellson had been just two music artists who discovered from his light but forceful playing, as Jones swung the Count number Basie Orchestra with the ideal accents and noises. After we were young in Alabama, Jones worked well like a drummer and faucet dancer with carnival displays. He became a member of Walter Page’s Blue Devils in Oklahoma Town in the past due ’20s. Over time with Lloyd Hunter’s music group in Nebraska, Jones shifted to Kansas Town in 1933, becoming a member of Count Basie’s music group the following yr. He proceeded to go with Basie to NY in 1936 along with Basie, Freddie Green, and Walter Web page, he formed among the great tempo areas. Jones was using the Basie music group (apart from 1944-1946 when he is at the armed service) until 1948, and in old age, he participated in lots of reunions with Basie alumni. He was on some Jazz in the Philharmonic trips and recorded within the ’50s with Illinois Jacquet, Billie Vacation, Teddy Wilson, Lester Youthful, Artwork Tatum, and Duke Ellington, amongst others; Jones made an appearance in the 1957 Newport Jazz Event with both Basie as well as the Coleman Hawkins-Roy Eldridge Sextet. He led classes for Vanguard (1955 and 1959) and Everest (1959-1960), a day for Jazz Odyssey which he reminisced and performed drum solos (1970), and middle-’70s classes for Pablo and Denon. In old age he was referred to as “Papa” Jo Jones, and regarded as a smart if brutally frank elder statesman.

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