Thad Jones

A harmonically sophisticated trumpeter and cornetist whose sound stood apart, Thad Jones also excelled as an arranger and composer. The younger sibling of pianist Hank Jones and the older brother of drummer Elvin Jones, he enjoyed a remarkably active career. Largely self-taught on the trumpet, he launched his professional life at sixteen alongside Hank Jones and Sonny Stitt. Following military service from 1943 to 1946, he spent time in Midwest territory bands before settling into steady work from 1950 to 1953 with Billy Mitchell’s quintet in Detroit. A handful of early sessions with Charles Mingus in 1954 and 1955 preceded his rise to wider recognition during a nine-year tenure, beginning in 1954, with Count Basie’s Orchestra. There he contributed a memorable “Pop Goes the Weasel” solo on “April in Paris” while sharing the trumpet spotlight with Joe Newman. His arranging skills flourished in that setting, and after departing Basie in 1963 he became a sought-after freelance writer. He joined the CBS staff, co-directed a quintet with Pepper Adams, and late in 1965 formed a large ensemble with drummer Mel Lewis. Starting in February 1966 the group performed every Monday at the Village Vanguard. Over the following decade this part-time orchestra earned widespread acclaim and served as the principal vehicle for Jones’s composing. Among his works were the enduring standard “A Child Is Born” and such distinctive pieces as “Fingers,” “Little Pixie,” and “Tiptoe.” The Thad Jones–Mel Lewis Orchestra began as an all-star unit and gradually incorporated younger players; its roster at various times included trumpeters Bill Berry, Danny Stiles, Richard Williams, Marvin Stamm, Snooky Young, and Jon Faddis, trombonists Bob Brookmeyer, Jimmy Knepper, and Quentin Jackson, reed players Jerome Richardson, Jerry Dodgion, Eddie Daniels, Joe Farrell, Pepper Adams, and Billy Harper, pianists Hank Jones and Roland Hanna, and bassists Richard Davis and George Mraz. In 1978 Jones abruptly departed the band and relocated to Denmark without offering any public explanation. While abroad he wrote for a radio orchestra and led his own group, Eclipse. Late in 1984 he assumed leadership of the Count Basie Orchestra, yet health problems compelled his retirement within a year. As a leader he recorded for Debut (1954–1955), Blue Note, Period, United Artists, Roulette, Milestone, Solid State, Artists House, A&M, and Metronome; many of the Thad Jones–Mel Lewis Orchestra’s finest performances later appeared in a five-CD Mosaic box set.