Drummer Philly Joe Jones was born in Philadelphia (not surprisingly) on this date in 1923. His given name was Joseph Rudolph Jones and he learned the basics of music at a young age from his mother who was a piano teacher. He took on the moniker “Philly Joe” to distinguish himself from Jo Jones, the drummer with Count Basie’s All-American Rhythm Section.

In the 1940s Jones was playing in New York with jazz and blues groups and made his first record with saxophonist Johnny Griffin. Late in that decade and into the early 1950s Philly Joe could be heard playing in groups led by Tadd Dameron, Ben Webster, Dexter Gordon, Lee Konitz and Zoot Sims.

After 1953 Jones was associated with Miles Davis. Miles related in his autobiography that “Philly Joe Jones and I would go from city to city playing with local musicians. Philly would go ahead of me and get some guys together and then I would show and we’d play a gig.” Eventually the two found Red Garland and Paul Chambers and auditioned John Coltrane and the first Miles Davis Quintet was formed. Jones recorded his first record as a leader in 1958.

After his time with Davis ended, Philly Joe Jones could be heard on numerous Blue Note, Riverside and Prestige recordings and played regularly with Sonny Rollins, Art Pepper and is the drummer on Coltrane’s Blue Train album.

In 1968 Jones moved to Europe and played with many American expatriate and touring jazz musicians while also teaching in London. In the 1980s he founded the group Dameronia dedicated to playing the music of Tadd Dameron. Philly Joe Jones died of a heart attack in his hometown on August 30, 1985.

Here is a link to Philly Joe Jones soloing as part of the Bill Evans Trio at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1978:

"DRUM SOLO"