Drummer Philly Joe Jones wasn't one to lay back. Throughout his spectacular 1950s career, which included extended stays with trumpeter Miles Davis, Jones's playing was pronounced and dominating. Starting with The Musings of Miles in 1955, with Davis, Red Garland (p) and Oscar Pettiford (b), Jones made himself heard. In Davis's classic quintet, featuring Davis, John Coltrane (ts), Garland (p) and Paul Chambers, and sextet with Cannonball Adderley added in 1958, Jones again was the ever-shifting rock, keeping players slightly off balance. [Photo above of Philly Joe Jones by (c)Jan Persson/CTSImages]
Interestingly, listeners were often put off by Jones's jarring and disruptive style. They felt his approach cut into their ability to hear the headliners. But players loved his busy sticks and combustible attack. At one point, critics urged Davis to fire Jones but he wouldn't. It's hard to understand why pianist Bill Evans liked playing with Jones's cacophony behind him, but he did. The appeal must have been his drive, the nuanced stick figures and the shoving energy, which compelled musicians to up their game.
In early 1958, Jones left Davis to front his own groups. His first leadership album was Blues for Dracula, a sextet date for Riverside in September 1958. In May 1960, Jones recorded Philly Joe's Beat, a commanding hard-bop recording for Atlantic with a well-rehearsed, working quintet that remained together for 13 months. The group featured Mike Downs (tp), Bill Barron (ts), Walter Davis Jr. (p) and Paul Chambers (b). All of these artists were tremendous players, as you'll hear.
Now, Fresh Sound has packaged the muscular Atlantic album with 24-bit remastering and five previously unreleased live tracks from the quintet's appearance at New York's Birdland in March 1961. The only personnel change was bassist Spanky DeBrest who replaced Chambers.
The live tracks have never appeared on another album and seem to have been from a live WEVD-AM remote broadcast. Hosted by "Symphony Sid" Torin, the program's tracks are Two Bass Hit, Max Is Making Wax, Bebe, Salt Peanuts and The Theme (Blue 'n' Boogie). It was an intense hard-bop set with fantastic blowing egged on by Jones's popcorn-maker percussion. At one point, John Coltrane walked in to hear what all the fuss was about. He had his saxophone, but unfortunately for us Sid didn't urge him to join the group.
Philly Joe Jones died in 1985.
Note: Philly Joe Jones's composition Bebe was never recorded in the studio, which means the live track is the first and only documentation of the song's performance. The song, according to Jones, was dedicated to his mother-in-law.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Philly Joe's Beat: The Philly Joe Jones Quintet (Fresh Sound) here.
JazzWax clips: Here's John Hines's Muse Rapture...
And from the live broadcast, here's Jones's Bebe...
