Show Time – "Papa" Jo Jones
Jo Jones' showcase for himself: an uptempo song full of one-measure drum breaks. A drum transcription is available for the in and out heads.
- Recording: Jo Jones - Vamp 'Til Ready
- Recorded on: April 19, 1960
- Label: Everest (LPBR 5099)
- Concert Key: B-flat
- Vocal Range: , to
- Style: Swing (uptempo)
- Trombone - Bennie Green
- Tenor Sax - Jimmy Forrest
- Piano - Tommy Flanagan
- Bass - Tommy Potter
- Drums - Jo Jones
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Video
- Description
- Historical Notes
- Solos
- Piano Corner
- Bass Corner
- Drum Corner
- Guitar Corner
- Inside & Beyond
- Minus You
Show Time for the drums! This uptempo swinger is Jo Jones' feature for himself. The A and C sections of this 32-measure ABCD song alternate one measure of melody and one measure of drum fill—a real workout at this tempo. The melody and changes are relatively simple, but the fast tempo makes this song an exciting challenge. On the recording, the tenor sax and trombone play the melody at A and C in unison, with the tenor playing the melody alone at B and D. The coda is a classic swing-style ending, which was probably improvised on the recording.
Rhythm section players should read the C lead sheet. A Drum Transcription is available; click on Drum Corner for more details.
Rhythm section players should read the C lead sheet. A Drum Transcription is available; click on Drum Corner for more details.
Jo Jones' fourth album as a leader, "Vamp 'Til Ready" was his second for the Everest label. His first Everest album, "Jo Jones Trio" from 1959, features the piano and compositions of Ray Bryant, as does 1958's "Jo Jones Plus Two." Jo's debut album as a leader, "The Jo Jones Special", was recorded in 1955 and features Bennie Green and Lucky Thompson.
Our Drum Transcription shows what Jo Jones plays on the in and out heads; Jo does not solo on this song. He plays with sticks on the in head and brushes on the out head; in both, he demonstrates his mastery of one-measure fills. This transcription shows the melody on a smaller staff above the drum staff. It also includes the first eight measures of Jo's comping for the first solo (trombonist Bennie Green) CLIP.
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"Papa" Jo Jones
October 7, 1911 – September 3, 1985
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. Read more...
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