Jo jones cause of death
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“Papa” Jo Jones: Drumming’s Fearsome Father Figure
It’s been said that modern drumming made its first step towards maturity when Jo Jones arrived in New York in 1936 with the Count Basie band. Within a few years, “Papa” Jo became the idol of hundreds of drummers across the country who emulated the style he perfected.
Jonathan David Samuel Jones was born in Chicago in 1911, and he began working with regional bands in the late 1920s. But it was within the framework of the Basie band from 1936 to 1948 that he would make his indelible mark on the entire jazz drumming world. With Basie on piano, Freddie Green on guitar, and Walter Page on bass, what came to be known as “The All American Rhythm Section” set the standard for all such sections to follow.
More than any other drummer in history, Jo Jones developed the hi-hat into an instrument of great rhythmic and tonal variety. His hi-hat style has been characterized as swinging and driving, but never obtrusive. Early recordings with the Basie band clearly reveal a smooth, uplifting hi-hat that emp
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"Papa" Joe Jones
October 7, 1911 – September 3, 1985
| Instrument | drums |
| Birthplace | Chicago, IL |
Born Jonathan David Samuel Jones in Chicago, Illinois, Jo Jones got his start playing drums and tap-dancing in carnival shows in Alabama until joining Walter Page's band in Oklahoma City in the late 1920s. He, along with Walter Page and Freddie Green, joined Count Basie's band in 1934. That rhythm section would forever change the sound and feeling of jazz.
Jo Jones is one of the most important drummers in the history of jazz drumming. He was one of the first drummers to feature the brushes. His playing shifted the emphasis away from the bass drum to the cymbals. He was a huge influence on many of his immediate successors such as Buddy Rich, Kenny Clarke, Max Roach, and Philly Joe Jones, to name a few.
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Jo Jones
Home » Jazz Musicians » 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
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