William Jones Jr. (October 20, 1929 – April 1991) was a jazz drummer.[1] He is known for playing and recording with Thelonious Monk, Lester Young, Elmo Hope, and Charles Mingus.[1]

Biography

Jones was born in New York on October 20, 1929.[1] He mainly taught himself to play the drums,[1] and played left handed.[2]: 164  He played and recorded with pianist Thelonious Monk in 1953,[1] including on the album Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins. This recording, on November 13, was Jones' first.[2] He also appeared with Monk on the television program The Tonight Show, on June 10, 1955.[2]: 187  Jones was sideman for another pianist's recording in 1955 – Elmo Hope's Meditations;[3]: 723  and for Randy Weston's The Modern Art of Jazz by Randy Weston in the following year.[3]: 1491  In 1956 Jones had a two-week engagement with Monk in Philadelphia.[2]: 212  Jones also played with Kenny Dorham, J. J. Johnson, Charlie Parker, and Cecil Payne in the mid-1950s.[1]

In 1955–56 Jones was part of Charles Mingus' Jazz Workshop,[1] and was the drummer in the bassist's band that recorded Pithecanthropus Erectus, which helped develop a freer form of group improvisation.[3]: 1001  Jones was tenor saxophonist Lester Young's drummer from late 1956 to early 1959.[1] In 1961, Jones played on Sun Ra's The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra.[1][4] After this, nothing is known about Jones, and his date of death was taken from social security records.[1] These associations – with the traditional Young and the avant-garde Sun Ra – illustrated Jones' versatility.[5]

Discography

As sideman

Year recorded Leader Title Label
1953 Thelonious Monk Monk Prestige
1953 Thelonious Monk Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins Prestige
1955 Elmo Hope Meditations Prestige
1955 Charles Mingus Mingus at the Bohemia Debut
1956 Randy Weston The Modern Art of Jazz by Randy Weston Dawn
1956 Charles Mingus Pithecanthropus Erectus Atlantic
1961 Sun Ra The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra Savoy

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Kernfeld, Barry "Jones, Willie (William, Jr.)". In Kernfeld, Barry (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (2nd edition). Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved May 17, 2014. (Subscription required.)
  2. 1 2 3 4 Kelley, Robin (2009) Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original. Simon and Schuster.
  3. 1 2 3 Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008) The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th edition). Penguin. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  4. ↑ "The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra (Retitled We Are in the Future)". Sun Ra's Online Discography. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  5. ↑ Chadbourne, Eugene "Willie Jones – Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
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