TT 284: Philly Joe Jones

The great drummer's centennial is today

The abundant waves of miraculous small group jazz in the 1950’s and ‘60’s probably had something to do with segregation. The best and brightest were encouraged by their elders to go into music as a way up and out, and the best and the brightest did just that.

Miles Davis and John Coltrane are two of the most familiar names, but the sidemen accompanying them on the famous records were just as great.

Drummer Philly Joe Jones was born 100 years ago today. A good place to hear Jones at his best is “Awful Mean,” the opening blues from the 1959 Paul Chambers record Go. The spectacular group is filled out with Cannonball Adderley and Wynton Kelly.

Jones offers a press roll to start, plays the syncopated melody to death, sinks into quarter notes on the snare for the piano solo, opens it up for alto including double-time, stirs it the soup for the bass, stays on brushes for two lethal choruses on his own, and picks up sticks again to drive it home at the end.

Everyone in this peer group frequently used their intellectual brilliance and instrumental virtuosity to be funky. Now, ain’t that Awful Mean?

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Nine other favorite Philly Joe Jones moments:

Miles Davis “Straight, No Chaser” Milestones Is the tenor solo by Coltrane the hardest swinging moment in recorded history? Full credit to Red Garland and Philly Joe making the hits together behind Trane.

Miles Davis “Airegin” Cookin’ Latin music is very important to swing, and Philly Joe shows some sophisticated moves during the vamp sections.

Sonny Clark “Lover” Cool Struttin’ This uptempo goodness didn’t actually make first release, perhaps because Art Farmer and Jackie McLean don’t seem all that confident during the blowing. However, Philly Joe is on fire, including a strong drum intro, drum solo, and marvelous breaks during the head in and head out.

John Coltrane “Lazy Bird” Blue Train Philly Joe drove the band, but his fills could be quite behind the beat. A few moments on “Lazy Bird” are dangerously and delightfully late.

Sonny Rollins “Surrey With the Fringe on Top” Newk’s Time Sonny and Philly Joe get it together duo. Yeah. With no bass or piano in the mix, one can hear Philly Joe feather the bass drum.

Clark Terry “Let’s Cool One” In Orbit Thelonious Monk and Philly Joe Jones didn’t record that much together, but the one studio example is marvelous. Total rhythmic and melodic understanding.

Tadd Dameron “On A Misty Night” Mating Call The more I learn about this music, the more I regard Tadd Dameron as a key figure. Dameron’s quartet date with Coltrane, Philly Joe, and John Simmons is not widely heralded but it might be a key puzzle piece: Dameron named Jones “Philly Joe”; Philly Joe was the talent scout who brought Coltrane onto the NYC scene via Miles; Coltrane learned from Dameron in the same matter that Coltrane learned from Monk.

Wynton Kelly "Skatin’” Kelly at Midnite The melody features fierce drum breaks while the feel during the piano solo is dead center. As always, Paul Chambers is also simply one of the greatest of all time.

Philly Joe Jones “Stablemates” Drums Around the World Despite being notably hard to play smoothly and successfully, Benny Golson’s piece is oddly beloved by jazz students today. This glamorous arrangement features Philly Joe large and in charge; there are also astonishing, nearly avant-garde solos by Cannonball and Golson. Is this the best recorded version of “Stablemates?”

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Bonus tracks:

The person who probably understood Philly Joe Jones best was Miles Davis. His rhythm section of Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe was featured on two Miles studio tracks without horns, “Billy Boy” and “Ahmad’s Blues.” Red is always fabulous, of course, but in these two instances Miles is putting Red squarely in the “please cop Ahmad Jamal” position. The two tracks end up truly being features for Philly Joe.

I just learned about “Blues No. 2,” a single track from 1961 with Miles, Hank Mobley, Wynton Kelly, and Paul Chambers. This is the band we know well from the Live at the Blackhawk and other places, always with the great Jimmy Cobb on drums. Philly Joe plays like he wants his gig back! His left hand on the snare is in the cracks of the beat just so. Terrific back and forth between Miles and Philly Joe.

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Today there’s a centennial broadcast at WKCR.