Sam Jones

[J.A.W.]

Saw Sam several times in the 1970s with Clifford Jordan, Cedar Walton and Billy Higgins; he was a great bass player! I just realized that three of them are gone now...

Edited June 15, 2011 by J.A.W.

[paul secor]

Red Garland (w. Sam Jones & A.T.): Red in Bluesville

[JSngry]

[mikeweil]

Here's a more accurate and detailed discography of Sam Jones' dates as a leader: https://jazzdiscography.com/Leaders/sam-jones-discography.php

Does any board member happen to own the one 45 rpm single Riverside has released? If so, please contact me - I would like to compare to the LP takes to find out whether these are alternates or edited takes.

d.	XY-160sv	Thumbstring(Ray Brown) / arr: Ernie Wilkins - 3:41 Riverside 45RF-45477 — Sam Jones Orchestra
e.	XY-159sv	Unit 7(Samuel Jones) / arr: Ernie Wilkins - 3:51 Riverside 45RF-45477 — Sam Jones Orchestra

[Gheorghe]

On 6/15/2011 at 11:48 PM, J.A.W. said:

Saw Sam several times in the 1970s with Clifford Jordan, Cedar Walton and Billy Higgins; he was a great bass player! I just realized that three of them are gone now...

Oh, how much would I have liked to see this group. I heard them on record only (3 live albums on Steeple Chase), but it seems they didn´t tour Austria. 

Later I saw the George Coleman Quartet shortly after they had recorded "Amsterdam after Dark" playing the music from that then brandnew album, and they had Hilton Ruiz and Billy Higgins, but NOT Sam Jones ! He had been replaced by Ray Drummond, who also was a very fine and versatile bass player, later working much with Johnny Griffin, but I would have liked to hear Sam Jones.  
And I think he was the best bassist who ever worked with Bud Powell, his contributions on "Time Waits" are fantastic ! 

I think too many jazz students play his "Del Sasser" without even knowing who was Sam Jones.....

[sidewinder]

4 hours ago, Gheorghe said:

Oh, how much would I have liked to see this group. I heard them on record only (3 live albums on Steeple Chase), but it seems they didn´t tour Austria. 

Later I saw the George Coleman Quartet shortly after they had recorded "Amsterdam after Dark" playing the music from that then brandnew album, and they had Hilton Ruiz and Billy Higgins, but NOT Sam Jones ! He had been replaced by Ray Drummond, who also was a very fine and versatile bass player, later working much with Johnny Griffin, but I would have liked to hear Sam Jones.  
And I think he was the best bassist who ever worked with Bud Powell, his contributions on "Time Waits" are fantastic ! 

I think too many jazz students play his "Del Sasser" without even knowing who was Sam Jones.....

Interesting, I saw the Coleman Quartet on that tour and as mentioned, no Sam Jones but for London I recall it was Herbie Lewis (in dungarees) on bass. Maybe he was just filling in for Ray Drummond for that gig. I too was expecting Sam Jones but I remember hearing of his illness at that time.

Wish I had a time machine to check out a couple more sets of that ‘Ronnie’s’ engagement.

Edited February 10, 2023 by sidewinder

[Justin V]

When I saw Louis Hayes in December, I thought about Sam Jones and how much he would dig Dezron Douglas.

[Gheorghe]

18 hours ago, sidewinder said:

Interesting, I saw the Coleman Quartet on that tour and as mentioned, no Sam Jones but for London I recall it was Herbie Lewis (in dungarees) on bass. Maybe he was just filling in for Ray Drummond for that gig. I too was expecting Sam Jones but I remember hearing of his illness at that time.

Wish I had a time machine to check out a couple more sets of that ‘Ronnie’s’ engagement.

I had to google what is "dungarees" but know I know. Oh yes, that was that terrible fashion of the 70´s when musicians dressed too much in casual looks on stage. And I always hated dungarees. Mostly if women wore them, it´s a love killer.

Now in the present, in the few jazz clubs left, most musicians who play a very fine dressed, the audience usually casual, some girls better dressed, and the musicians on stage maybe got another awareness of how to look for a performance. 

But enough about non musical stuff......., that´s a question of taste. About Herbie Lewis: He was a wonderful bassist, I saw him with Jackie McLean, the others were Booby Hutcherson and Billy Higgins (all dressed with dark sacou, white shirt and ties, even if it was a hot day in July, and they really burned. 
Herbie Lewis did a particular interesting solo on a fast "Blue´n Boogie" which was something else. Some folks from the audience said it sounded like an "african solo" and he got frenetic applause.

I have heard that Sam Jones died too early, but didn´t know that if he made the record just a month before, that he would have been too ill to perform on the live dates of the "Amsterdam stuff". Maybe he had other commitments, he was always very very much in demand. 

[mikeweil]

On 2/10/2023 at 1:50 AM, mikeweil said:

Here's a more accurate and detailed discography of Sam Jones' dates as a leader: https://jazzdiscography.com/Leaders/sam-jones-discography.php

Does any board member happen to own the one 45 rpm single Riverside has released? If so, please contact me - I would like to compare to the LP takes to find out whether these are alternates or edited takes.

d.	XY-160sv	Thumbstring(Ray Brown) / arr: Ernie Wilkins - 3:41 Riverside 45RF-45477 — Sam Jones Orchestra
e.	XY-159sv	Unit 7(Samuel Jones) / arr: Ernie Wilkins - 3:51 Riverside 45RF-45477 — Sam Jones Orchestra

I was able to purchase a copy of this single release. Comparison with the LP versions reveals these are edited from them, and not alternates. 

Edited March 7, 2023 by mikeweil

[Gheorghe]

15 hours ago, mikeweil said:

I was able to purchase a copy of this single release. Comparison with the LP versions reveals these are edited from them, and not alternates. 

This is only leader´s dates I saw. Is there also a discography of sessions/concerts he took part when he was not a leader ? 

Now I see that in early 1979 when I saw the George Coleman Quartet doing live versions of "Amsterdam at Dark" , where Sam Jones was replaced by Ray Drummond, the cause may have been that he made a record with Kenny Barron.....

[mikeweil]

5 hours ago, Gheorghe said:

This is only leader´s dates I saw. Is there also a discography of sessions/concerts he took part when he was not a leader ? 

You can find that in The Jazz Discography Online ,  but you have to subscribe to use it. There are 423 sessions listed, which is about 300 albums. Jones was in demand ..... too much for me at this time.

[Gheorghe]

10 minutes ago, mikeweil said:

 Jones was in demand ..... too much for me at this time.

he really was, but maybe less than Paul Chambers, Doug Watkins and Ron Carter, is that possible ? 

[mikeweil]

They were moving in different circles, partly overlapping. Must have to do with the common Florida upbringing of Jones and the Adderley brothers. I cannot compare Watkins as he died too young. 

Lord lists 355 sessions for Chambers, 110 for Watkins, 423 for Jones. 

42 minutes ago, mikeweil said:

.... too much for me at this time.

What l wanted to say is that compiling a complete discography is too much work for me. Jones played fine on every date he was on.

[Gheorghe]

17 hours ago, mikeweil said:

They were moving in different circles, partly overlapping. Must have to do with the common Florida upbringing of Jones and the Adderley brothers. I cannot compare Watkins as he died too young. 

Lord lists 355 sessions for Chambers, 110 for Watkins, 423 for Jones. 

What l wanted to say is that compiling a complete discography is too much work for me. Jones played fine on every date he was on.

Well for the short live Chambers had (I think he was only 35 when he died), 355 sessions is very much. 
 

I never could compile a discopgraphy since I´m not a collector. Of course, in my youth I bought most albums since I was mostly learning the music and the musicians. Later it was more, like...if fellow musicians talked about it,  or ....my wife saw something and guessed that I might like it and might not have it, or sometimes if some record was recommended here , 
I tried to bring both the LP´s and the CD´s in alphabetic order where they are stapled, but.....you know, you just pick out one album and don´t have the time to put it back where it was.....

And I think in an other under-forum here I saw some examples of digitalized discopgraphys, but I never could do it tehnically or mentally,...