What makes a great drum solo? Blazing chops? Clever rhythmic motifs? Double bass fury? Musical sensitivity? Most would agree - its hard to classify exactly what makes a great drum solo "great" - but we all know it when we hear it!
Hudson Music is proud to present a tribute to the legacy of the Great Drum Solo! Our "Solo of the Week" feature will showcase a classic - or soon to be classic - drum solo. You know the names, you may even know the solo - but the pure entertainment, emotion and skill that are displayed in these clips is beyond explanation.
This week - we feature the great Papa Jo Jones! A bit of a departure from a "typical" drum solo, pay close attention to the variety of sounds Papa Jo pulls out of each drum. This is truly a musical drum solo!
This week's solo is taken from our Classic Drum Solos and Drum Battles, Volume 2 DVD. Also on the Classic Solos 2 DVD are 14 other solos from legends like Buddy Rich, Lionel Hampton, Gene Krupa, Art Blakey and Shelly Manne, to name a few.
About Papa Joe Jones:
Born Jonathan David Samuel Jones in Chicago, Illinois, he moved to Alabama where he learned to play several instruments, including saxophone, piano, and drums. He worked as a drummer and tap-dancer at carnival shows until joining Walter Page's band, the Blue Devils in Oklahoma City in the late 1920s. He recorded with trumpeter Lloyd Hunter's Serenaders in 1931, and later joined pianist Count Basie's band in 1933. Jones, Basie, guitarist Freddie Green and bassist Walter Page are one of the more important rhythm sections in jazz. Jones took a brief break for two years when he was in the military. He played with the band until 1948 and performed in the Jazz at the Philharmonic concert series.
Jones split off from the band in the late 1940s and created an image for himself. He was one of the first drummers to promote the use of brushes on drums and shifting the role of timekeeping from the bass drum to the hi-hat cymbal. Jones is regarded as the premier jazz drummer of the Swing era, and the transitional figure between classic and modern jazz drumming.
He had an incalculable influence on major drummers such as Buddy Rich, Kenny Clarke, Roy Haynes, Max Roach, and Louie Bellson. He also starred in several films, most notably the musical short Jammin' the Blues in 1944. In 1985 Jones was the recipient of an American Jazz Masters fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts. (wikipedia.org)
Like what you see? Click the link below to buy the full length DVD!
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