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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZJONES, Jonah(b Robert Elliott Jones, 31 Dec. '09, Louisville KY; d 30 April 2000 NYC) Trumpet, vocals. Played in riverboat bands etc; with Horace Henderson '28, Jimmie Lunceford '31, often with Stuff Smith '30s (shared comedy vocals), McKinney's Cotton Pickers '35, Fletcher Henderson '40, Benny Carter '40-41, Cab Calloway '41-52. He replaced Mario Bauzá in the Calloway band, and it was Jonah who threw the spitball that got Dizzy Gillespie fired; among many fine tracks with Calloway was 'Jonah Joins The Cab'. Also a frequent sideman on record sessions with Teddy Wilson/Billie Holiday etc; he recorded for Commodore, worked with Earl Hines sextet '52-3, Broadway pit band in Porgy And Bess '53; toured Europe as a solo, etc. He formed a combo for nightclub work and became an unexpected commercial success, singing and playing mostly muted horn: Capitol LPs Muted Jazz, Swingin' On Broadway, Jumpin' With Jonah were all top 15 albums '58: it should have happened to a lot more of the experienced stalwarts of mainstream jazz, but fans were happy that at least it happened to the ebullient Jones. He was still popular and still touring in the '80s. Other quartet LPs on Decca and Motown; also co-led LP Back On The Street '73 on Chiaroscuro with Buddy Tate, Cozy Cole and two others. |