Jonathan David Samuel Jones was born on October 7, 1911, and passed away on September 3, 1985. He was an American jazz drummer who helped lead a group called the Count Basie Orchestra from 1934 to 1948. Jones was important in developing new ways to play jazz drums. He was sometimes called Papa Jo Jones to help people tell him apart from a younger drummer named Philly Joe Jones.

Biography

Jo Jones was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States. He moved to Alabama, where he learned to play several musical instruments, including the 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. In 1931, he recorded with trumpeter Lloyd Hunter's Serenaders. Later, he joined pianist Count Basie's band in 1934. Jones, Basie, guitarist Freddie Green, and bassist Walter Page were sometimes called the "All-American Rhythm Section," a highly respected group. Jones took a two-year break to serve in the military but stayed with Basie until 1948. He performed in the Jazz at the Philharmonic concert series.

Jones was one of the first drummers to use brushes on drums and to shift the role of timekeeping from the bass drum to the hi-hat cymbal. His drumming style greatly influenced later drummers, including Buddy Rich, Kenny Clarke, Roy Haynes, Max Roach, and Louie Bellson. He also appeared in several films, most notably the musical short Jammin' the Blues (1944).

In later years, Jones regularly performed at the West End jazz club at 116th and Broadway in New York City. These performances were often attended by other drummers, such as Max Roach and Roy Haynes. In addition to his drumming skills, Jones was known for his quick temper and tendency to argue with others. One well-known example happened in 1936 during a jam session at the Reno Club in Kansas City. A young Charlie Parker was playing an improvised solo but lost track of the music's structure. As a sign of disapproval, Jones threw a cymbal from his drum kit onto the floor near Parker's feet to signal him to leave the stage.

Unlike the loud, forceful style of drummer Gene Krupa, who often hit the bass drum on every beat, Jones rarely used the bass drum. Instead, he played a steady rhythm on the hi-hat cymbal, which he kept opening and closing continuously, rather than striking it only when it was closed. His approach helped shape the modern jazz drummer's use of the ride cymbal for timekeeping.

In 1979, Jones was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame for his contributions to the musical heritage of Birmingham, Alabama. In 1985, he received an American Jazz Masters fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.

His autobiography, Rifftide: The Life and Opinions of Papa Jo Jones, was written by novelist Albert Murray based on conversations they had from 1977 until Jones' death in 1985. The book was published in 2011 by the University of Minnesota Press.

Known as "Papa Jo Jones" in his later years, he was sometimes confused with another famous jazz drummer named Philly Joe Jones. The two men died only a few days apart.

Jones passed away from pneumonia in New York City at the age of 73.

Discography

• 1955: The Jo Jones Special (Vanguard)
• 1957: The Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, Pete Brown, Jo Jones All Stars at Newport (Verve) with Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, and Pete Brown
• 1958: Jo Jones Plus Two (Vanguard)
• 1959: Jo Jones Trio (Everest)
• 1960: Vamp 'til Ready (Everest)
• 1960: Percussion and Bass (Everest) with Milt Hinton
• 1969–1975: Smiles (Black & Blue)
• 1973: The Drums (Jazz Odyssey)
• 1976: The Main Man (Pablo)
• 1977: Papa Jo and His Friends (Denon)
• 1977: Our Man, Papa Jo! (Denon)

With Illinois Jacquet
With Paul Quinichette

Filmography

• Jammin' the Blues (1944)
• The Unsuspected (1947)
• Jazz Icons: Coleman Hawkins – Live in 62 & 64
• L´Aventure du Jazz (1969/72 – Louis Panassié)
• Born to Swing (1973)
• The Last of the Blue Devils (1979)