The Musical Life of Papa Jo Jones
The Musical Life of Papa Jo Jones
The introduction gives a brief overview of the life and times of innovative jazz drummer Papa Jo Jones. Born Jonathan David Samuel Jones in the 17th of October 1911, Jones suffered a devastating loss that would later catapult him into show business. He would later tell his life’s story to jazz historian and novelist Albert Murray, following the latter’s work on an autobiography of another jazz great—Count Basie. Although Jones would not live to see his autobiography published, he nevertheless endured in Murray’s imagination as a character in his novels. Papa Jo Jones endures today as a legendary jazz drummer, whose exaggerated, larger-than-life intensity was only matched by his remarkable sense of humility in downplaying his considerable intellect. Thus has Jo Jones carved a place for himself within the hallowed halls of jazz history, drumming out the beat of his life to the tune of the vernacular.
Keywords: Papa Jo Jones, Albert Murray, jazz drummer, autobiography, genre, jazz, jazz history
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