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JACKIE AND ROY. A popular vocal jazz duo made up of Jackie Cain and Roy Kral, formed in the 1940s. The married couple recorded albums for a number of companies and appeared in concert regularly throughout the United States. In addition to their performances, Jackie and Roy hosted their own television show in Chicago and made appearances in television commercials.

JACKSON, GREIG “CHUBBY” (1918–2003). Born in New York, Jackson took up the bass as a teenager and was substituting for influential bassist Oscar Pettiford in the 1940s. Jackson worked with Woody Herman, Conte Candoli, Neal Hefti, and Charlie Ventura during the 1940s, many of whom he would work with again during the 1950s. Jackson worked as a leader during the 1960s and 1970s, while living in different places across the country including Los Angeles, Miami, and Las Vegas. Jackson’s career experienced a brief resurgence during the 1980s while working with Lionel Hampton, but he was forced into retirement in the 1990s due to health-related issues.

JACKSON, MILTON “MILT” (1923–1999). Among the major jazz figures to move from Detroit to New York, vibraphonist Jackson quickly became involved with the Bebop scene and worked with Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Woody Herman during the mid- to late 1940s. In the 1950s, Jackson started leading his own groups, which included sidemen John Lewis and Connie Kay. Jackson’s quartet would turn into the popular jazz group the Modern Jazz Quartet, and Jackson would perform with them for the greater part of the next decade. Jackson appeared as a sideman on albums by artists such as John Coltrane, Coleman Hawkins, and Ray Charles. Jackson would experience a resurgence toward the end of his career and recorded a big band album featuring the Los Angeles based Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra. See also VIBRAPHONE.

JACQUET, JEAN BAPTISTE “ILLINOIS” (1922–2004). Jacquet played saxophone with touring bands as a teenager before being hired by vibraphonist Lionel Hampton. He achieved a high level of fame for his solo on “Flying Home” that was recorded with the Hampton band, and he used his popularity to start his own groups. Despite a brief stay with the Count Basie band in the 1940s, he would primarily lead his own groups for the remainder of his career, performing at festivals across the world. Jacquet was also invited to tour with the Norman Granz group Jazz at the Philharmonic during the late 1950s. He served a three-year artist-in-residence term at Harvard University and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Juilliard School of Music. See also APOLLO THEATER.

JAMAL, AHMAD (1930– ). Born Frederick Russell Jones and originally from Pittsburgh, Jamal began playing professional piano as a teenager and started touring with his own groups when he was 20. He primarily led a trio and would often substitute guitar in place of drums. He was considered highly influential to Miles Davis, who would refer piano players in his group to reference Jamal’s stylings. “Poinciana” is considered to be one of Jamal’s finest recorded tracks.

Jamal attempted several non-music related ventures in the early 1960s and briefly did not play. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Jamal experimented with a variety of sounds including using electronics, strings, and additional percussion in his groups. Jamal continues to perform and tour.

JAMES, ROBERT “BOB” (1939– ). Keyboardist James worked with a variety of Straight-Ahead jazz groups in the 1960s, including ones led by Sarah Vaughan, Quincy Jones, Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, and Ron Carter. James began doing studio work in the 1970s and was also performing with Pop acts. Toward the end of the 1980s, James became affiliated with the Contemporary or Smooth Jazz movements taking place and founded the group Fourplay. James continued to tour, record, and write well into the 2000s.

JAM SESSION (JAM). A term that describes impromptu performances given by musicians both in public and private formats. Jam sessions have been an important part of jazz culture and oftentimes provide musicians opportunities to perform with other musicians with whom they would not normally play. Jam sessions also play a vital role for aspiring musicians, in that they give young musicians performance opportunities with older or established musicians that they would not otherwise have. See also CUTTING CONTEST; IMPROVISATION; MINTON’S PLAYHOUSE; MONROE’S UPTOWN HOUSE.

JAPAN. Prior to World War II, jazz had brief periods of popularity in Japan. Dance halls grew steadily throughout the 1920s, and the creation of dance bands continued to rise. Dance bands frequently performed in Japan during this time and were often playing music that was copied from American records. Japan had fully assimilated Western music notation. Regions like Osaka developed into cultural meccas that featured an active nightlife that became receptive to other styles of jazz. Dixieland and New Orleans Jazz styles became prevalent, and groups imitated recordings of American groups such as those led by Jelly Roll Morton and King Oliver.

In the 1930s, the government took action to prohibit jazz, with one of the primary objectives being to significantly reduce the American elements performed. Composers and arrangers in Japan used Folk or Pop music from their native country as melodic material instead of American-based compositions. In 1937, Japan took significant strides toward prohibiting jazz performances. Government officials had specific regulations musicians were required to follow, including restrictions on the number of times a drummer could hit certain cymbals. Wartime was also especially harmful toward the development of jazz in Japan because many established groups disbanded. Musicians were needed to serve the country in other capacities, and many groups that stopped playing were never re-formed.

At the conclusion of the war and into the American occupation of Japan during the 1940s and 1950s, jazz began to steadily gain a stronger following. The government switched its stance on jazz music, and Japanese musicians were very interested in providing American soldiers with the music they enjoyed. Some historians credit this time as a critical period for Japan and the growth of jazz there. The desire to make music satisfactory to Americans versus creating more original interpretations of jazz was considered a harmful process. Critics of Japanese jazz maintain that too much of the music composed lacks creativity and many times is just imitative of music previously heard on records or from visiting musicians.

Many local jazz musicians began moving to the United States in the 1960s. Two of Japan’s most prominent jazz musicians, Toshiko Akiyoshi and Sadao Watanabe, have both had successful careers in both Japan and America. Akiyoshi developed a successful piano career in Japan before leading her own big band for several decades in New York from the 1970s onward. Watanabe, a saxophonist, has primarily focused on Bebop and Fusion for brief periods of time.

Despite occasional debate from critics on the approach Japanese musicians take to create and develop jazz, Japan has played an important role in the survival of jazz. Japan remains a prominent region for musicians from America to visit, and the Blue Note club in Japan remains one of the most active spots for touring jazz artists. Stylistically, the use of Folk music from Japan remains prevalent in many works of jazz today, most notably many of the groups led by the late drummer Elvin Jones. See also OKOSHI, TIGER; OZONE, MAKOTO.

JARREAU, ALWYN “AL” (1940– ). After earning a degree in psychology and unhappily practicing it for several years in San Francisco, Jarreau decided to pursue a career in singing. Jarreau’s first big break occurred when he was hired by pianist George Duke, which then led to a contract with Warner Bros. While he has worked some in the jazz genre, Jarreau’s greatest claim to fame was as a Soul and Rhythm and Blues (R&B) singer. Jarreau won multiple Grammy Awards and continued to sing and record into the 2000s. See also SCAT.

JARRETT, KEITH (1945– ). Deemed a virtuoso, Jarrett was considered a proficient pianist at a young age and began experimenting with composition and improvisation, in addition to his Classical piano studies, before becoming a teenager. Jarrett moved from his hometown of Allentown, Pennsylvania, to Boston, Massachusetts, to attend the popular Berklee School of Music in the early 1960s, but he did not finish and instead relocated to New York several years later. During the late 1960s, he established himself working first with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and then with rising tenor saxophonist Charles Lloyd.

Performances with Lloyd resulted in a popularity boost for Jarrett who would soon be hired by Miles Davis to play electric piano in his band, an instrument Jarrett played only with Davis and swore to never play again after leaving the group. While working with Davis, Jarrett began to record frequently as a leader and worked with many musicians including bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Paul Motian. During the 1970s, Jarrett was influential in the development of the ECM record label. He would record on ECM for the next four decades.

Toward the end of the 1970s, Jarrett formed a working relationship with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette, both of whom he would record and tour with for the greater part of the next four decades. Jarrett’s trio would become highly influential to the next wave of jazz pianists, most significantly through his melodic development and his building of introductions to songs. Jarrett cemented his place in the history of jazz with many of these trio recordings. His solo piano performances of original and completely improvised compositions are considered to be landmark recordings. See also PIANO.

JASPAR, BOBBY (1926–1963). Born in Belgium, Jaspar worked in Europe as a flutist and tenor saxophonist in the 1950s including performances with pianist Henri Renaud before moving to New York in 1956. Jaspar played with several of the top jazz musicians during the late 1950s, including trombonist J. J. Johnson, Miles Davis, and Donald Byrd. Like many musicians of the era, Jaspar dealt with substance abuse, which led to his death from complications from heart surgery. See also EUROPE; FLUTE.

JAZZ AND PEOPLE’S MOVEMENT. Founded in the 1970s, the Jazz and People’s Movement was created to bring awareness of African-American related music to the mass media. Important members of the organization include Andrew Cyrille, Rashied Ali, Billy Harper, and Freddie Hubbard.

JAZZ ARTISTS GUILD. A group founded in 1960 by Max Roach and Charles Mingus, among others, with the intention of forming opposition to festivals that had become commercially oriented. The influence of the Jazz Artists Guild was seen in other groups, such as the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, that focused on increasing awareness of lesser-known artists. See also JAZZ FESTIVAL.

JAZZ AT THE PHILHARMONIC (JATP). Created as a group for a series of performances in concert halls in Los Angeles by Norman Granz, Jazz at the Philharmonic became an important touring group for over a decade. Comprised of musicians such as Roy Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, Lester Young, Oscar Peterson, Gene Krupa, and Buddy Rich, the JATP provided an important forum for important and influential jazz musicians to be heard in settings that garnered them public acclaim. Many of the concerts were recorded and, over time, released by many of the record labels affiliated with Granz. The JATP was popular in both the United States and Europe and ceased touring in the late 1960s. See also EUROPE.

JAZZ BROTHERS. An Art Blakey–inspired group founded in the early 1960s by trumpet player and flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione.

JAZZ CARDINALS. Founded by Trumpet King Freddie Keppard in the 1920s, the Jazz Cardinals were a Chicago-based Early Jazz group that recorded several times for Paramount. Other members of the Jazz Cardinals included Eddie Vincent and Johnny Dodds. See also CHICAGO JAZZ.

JAZZ CENTRE SOCIETY. The Jazz Centre Society was founded in the late 1960s in England to help create more work for jazz musicians. The group expanded its reach from London to most of Great Britain. In existence for a little under 20 years, it had to shut down in the mid-1980s due to financial problems. See also EUROPE.

JAZZ COMPOSERS GUILD. A precursor to the Jazz Composers Orchestra Association, the Jazz Composers Guild, formed by Bill Dixon in 1964, was in existence for a little over a year during the mid-1960s with the intention of promoting Free Jazz independently of its other stylistic peers. Important members of the Jazz Composers Guild included Mike Mantley and Carla Bley, among others.

JAZZ COMPOSERS ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION (JCOA). Formed in New York out of the remains of the Jazz Composers Guild, the Jazz Composers Orchestra Association was created in the mid-1960s to present opportunities for Free Jazz and creative musicians to compose music for large ensembles. The ensemble remained in existence for a little over a decade and gave many public performances in addition to recording several times.

JAZZ COMPOSERS WORKSHOP. A group formed by Charles Mingus in the 1950s with the intention of recording and performing new works.

JAZZCORE. A style of jazz that fuses many modern music elements including hard-core Rock, Metal, and Punk music with jazz instrumentation and improvisation. Jazzcore distinguishes itself from these other musical styles in that many times the instrumentation includes saxophone or trumpet in addition to electric guitar and drums.

JAZZ CRUSADERS. Founded by a group of friends in college, originally under the name the Modern Jazz Sextet, the name Jazz Crusaders was adopted when the group moved to Los Angeles in the 1960s and began recording. The Jazz Crusaders was one of the first groups to explore Jazz-Rock and Soul Jazz. Important members of the Jazz Crusaders included pianist Joe Sample, guitarist Larry Carlton, and trombonist Wayne Henderson. The group shortened their name to the Crusaders in 1971.

JAZZFEST BERLIN. Originally known as the Berliner Jazztage, the Jazzfest Berlin was founded in the early 1960s in Germany and remained an important organization for German musicians. The Jazzfest Berlin has hosted performances from a variety of artists during its several-decade run, including Herbie Hancock, Don Cherry, Lee Konitz, Victor Lewis, and Peter Brötzmann. Unlike some of its jazz festival peers, the Jazzfest Berlin is generously sponsored by the government and often takes place in the best venues in Berlin. See also EUROPE.

JAZZ FESTIVAL. Jazz festivals can range from one day to several weeks or months and typically feature many groups performing during the duration of the event. Festivals such as the Monterey Jazz Festival feature multiple performances each day on three to five different stages. Due to associated expenses, festivals frequently require the support of several sponsors. Significant jazz festivals include the Montreux International Jazz Festival, the Newport Jazz Festival, and the Monterey Jazz Festival, among many others. See also FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DE JAZZ DE MONTREAL; GRANDE PARADE DU JAZZ; INTERNATIONAL JAZZ JAMBOREE FESTIVAL; INTERNATIONAL NEW JAZZ FESTIVAL MOERS; JVC GRANDE PARADE DU JAZZ NICE; JVC JAZZ FESTIVAL NEW YORK; MOLDE INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL; NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL; NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL; PORI INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL; SACRAMENTO DIXIELAND JUBILEE.

JAZZ INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO (JIC). Created in the late 1960s as an organization to help preserve the roots of jazz, the Jazz Institute of Chicago sponsors festivals, concerts, and public events to bring awareness to jazz.

JAZZKERHO BREAK. The most popular jazz organization in Finland, the Jazzkerho Break was created in 1968 with the purpose of creating concerts and increasing the popularity of jazz in Finland. The Jazzkerho Break, or “Jazz Society Break,” released albums, newsletters, and worked with several other organizations to sponsor events until the 1990s.

JAZZLINE. Formed by two prominent 1950s and 1960s musicians, Duke Pearson and Dave Bailey with help from Fred Norsworthy, the Jazzline record label initially reissued albums in the 1960s. Albums by Walter Bishop, Pearson, and Freddie Hubbard were released under the label. In the 1980s, another company started a record label under the same name in Germany, and both reissued jazz albums in addition to releasing new material. The label is no longer active.

JAZZ MESSENGERS. A popular Hard Bop group co-founded by pianist Horace Silver and drummer Art Blakey in the 1950s that remained in existence until Blakey’s death in the 1990s. Silver and Blakey eventually split, and the name “Jazz Messengers” was briefly associated with Silver’s groups before it came under the sole ownership of Blakey. The front line for the Jazz Messengers was frequently saxophone and trumpet (although at times trombone was used as well) accompanied by a rhythm section. The Jazz Messengers was a highly influential group whose members often went on to have strong solo careers. Influential musicians to spend time playing in the Jazz Messengers include Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Hank Mobley, Clifford Brown, Curtis Fuller, Bobby Watson, and Wynton Marsalis.

JAZZMOBILE. A program sponsored by the Harlem Cultural Council that was created by Billy Taylor in the mid-1960s. The Jazzmobile presented concerts in urban centers by bringing a portable stage to areas of metropolitan New York. The Jazzmobile program was in existence for a little over a decade and included educational outreach projects as part of its objective. Musicians to participate in the Jazzmobile included Jimmy Heath, Thad Jones, Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie, and Art Blakey.

JAZZOLOGY. A Traditional Jazz record label founded in the late 1940s that initially focused on music recorded in or originating from Chicago. Jazzology and its sister label, GHB, were founded by the same owner, George Buck. Jazzology acquired several labels, including Circle, Southland, Paramount, and Lang-Worth. Jazzology remained active for several decades and into the 1980s. See also RECORD LABEL.

JAZZ RECORD. A short-lived record label created in 1946 by Art Hodes who, after less than a year of operations, sold the company to the Jazzology label.

JAZZ-ROCK. A style of jazz similar to Fusion and popular in the 1960s that blends elements of popular music, Funk, and styles of jazz like Soul Jazz and Hard Bop. Jazz-Rock is defined by the rhythmic pulse contained in the rhythm section and the use of jazz improvisation or jazz-influenced writing. Oftentimes Jazz-Rock is very difficult to separate from Jazz Fusion. Pianist Jeff Lorber is a notated performer of the Jazz-Rock style.

JAZZ SERVICES. A jazz education and awareness program created in England in the 1980s. Jazz Services provided youth the opportunity to learn and listen to jazz, in addition to promoting English musicians and concerts. See also ENGLAND.

JAZZ SOCIETY (I). Founded in the early 1950s, the Jazz Society record label was created in France to reissue “hot jazz” albums from the 1920s and 1930s.

JAZZ SOCIETY (II). Founded by Carl Hallstrom, the second incarnation of the Jazz Society record label was created in 1970 in Stockholm, Sweden, with the intention of reissuing albums by 1930s jazz masters including Duke Ellington and Count Basie.

JAZZTET. A Hard Bop group co-founded by Art Farmer and Benny Golson in the mid-1950s. Additional members of the Jazztet included trombonist Curtis Fuller and a young McCoy Tyner. While the Jazztet was only active for a few years in the 1950s and 1960s, Farmer and Golson formed a reunion version of the group in the 1980s. Some of the music of the Jazztet overlapped Golson’s time with the Jazz Messengers, and songs like “Whisper Not” were recorded with both groups. See also COMBO.

JAZZTONE. Created by the traditionally Classical-oriented label Concert Hall Society, Jazztone was a record label established in the mid-1950s to provide customers with a mail-order option for receiving albums instead of purchasing them at stores. The label folded after two years, although albums recorded by the company were reissued by other companies during the 1970s.

JAZZ WEST. A small record label founded in 1954 by Herbert Kimmel that put out albums by Jack Sheldon and Kenny Drew. Jazz West would eventually be purchased and have reissues released by Blue Note Records.

JEFFERSON, EDDIE (1918–1979). Jefferson worked as both a tap dancer and a vocalist throughout the late 1930s and 1940s. Credited with developing the idea of vocalese, Jefferson was one of the first vocalists to apply syllables or lyrics to improvised jazz solos that had been recorded previously. Jefferson was highly influential to the group Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross, and in the 1960s and 1970s he recorded vocalese of solos by Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins. Jefferson was infrequently used as a sideman, although he did tour with Richie Cole and Roy Brooks in the 1970s, before being involved in an incident outside a club in Detroit where he was shot and killed.

JOHANSSON, JAN (1931–1968). Originally from Sweden, Johansson began his career working in Sweden contributing arrangements and playing piano for several local groups. He worked with one of Stan Getz’s European quartets for a few years in the late 1950s, in addition to working with the European rendition of Jazz at the Philharmonic. Before dying at the age of 37, Johansson served as the principal arranger and composer for several popular groups in Sweden. See also EUROPE.

JOHNSON, ALBERT J. “BUDD” (1910–1984). Coming from a family of musicians, Johnson took up the tenor saxophone as a youth and moved to Kansas City at the age of 18 to pursue work in territory bands. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Johnson’s tenor saxophone playing was heard with many popular bands including Earl Hines, Louis Armstrong, Fletcher Henderson, Woody Herman, Don Redman, Dizzy Gillespie, and Billy Eckstine.

In the 1950s, Johnson alternated between leading his own groups and freelancing with other artists including Benny Goodman, Quincy Jones, Gil Evans, and Earl Hines. Johnson would become more actively involved with education during the last few years of his life, including teaching at the State University of New York, Stonybrook campus.

JOHNSON, GUS, JR. (1913–2000). A drummer, bassist, and vocalist, Johnson played primarily drum set for the majority of his career. Born in Texas, Johnson moved to Kansas City to catch on with the territory band craze that was happening. Johnson worked with Jay McShann and Lloyd Hunter during the 1930s before working with Eddie Vinson, Buck Clayton, and Earl Hines in the 1940s. Johnson was given the drum seat in Count Basie’s band in the 1950s but was forced to give it up due to health problems.

Johnson would remain very popular among Swing era musicians throughout the 1950s and 1960s, working with Rex Stewart, Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, Ben Webster, Woody Herman, and Al Cohn. Johnson worked with the World’s Greatest Jazz Band in the 1970s, in addition to freelancing with a variety of groups and living in Colorado. Health problems continued to hurt Johnson, and despite attempting to continue his career, he steadily cut down on performances until he officially retired in 1990.

JOHNSON, JAMES LEWIS “J. J.” (1924–2001). One of the most influential jazz trombonists of all time, Johnson’s career started in his hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana, before he migrated to New York following tours with Illinois Jacquet, Count Basie, and Benny Carter. Johnson’s Bebop prowess on the trombone led him to be used frequently by many of the top musicians including Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and Bud Powell.

Like some of his musical counterparts (most notably trumpet player Kenny Dorham), Johnson was forced into taking a day job for part of the early 1950s and did not prominently reenter the jazz scene until he formed the popular trombone group Jay and Kai, with Kai Winding. Johnson became an important composer and performer during the decade when he landed a multi-record deal with Columbia, in addition to having large-scale works recorded and performed live at various jazz festivals. Johnson’s writing of the time was considered to be in the Third Stream style.

Johnson was also notable in that he primarily led his own groups for the next decades. Rarely having to record as a sideman or freelance, Johnson led several popular quartets and quintets during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. For a brief period in the 1970s, Johnson was actively involved in composition and as a studio musician, and he assisted on the soundtrack for Across 110th Street. Johnson’s health deteriorated in his final years, which caused him to stop performing in the late 1990s. Johnson died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

JOHNSON, JAMES OSIE (1923–1966). He was an important freelance drummer for most of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, who performed with many notable Swing era musicians including Illinois Jacquet, Bennie Green, Johnny Hodges, Pee Wee Russell, and Coleman Hawkins. See also DRUM SET.

JOHNSON, JAMES P(RICE) (1894–1955). As a young man of 14, Johnson was tutored on piano by many of New York’s finest musicians, including Eubie Blake. In his early twenties, he worked frequently as an accompanist for dancers in the segregated sections of New York and became an influential composer and performer.

Johnson was important in the development of the Stride Piano style, and his compositions were made available to the public via the use of piano rolls. Named the “Father of Stride Piano,” contemporaries Fats Waller and Blake frequently performed Johnson’s music during the 1920s, and Johnson’s work became increasingly larger in scope. Toward the end of the decade, Johnson also wrote an opera, two-piano pieces, and had many of his works orchestrated for symphony orchestra.

Johnson’s health began to decline in the 1940s, and he incurred several strokes. By the 1950s, he was forced to retire from performing. Many of Johnson’s pieces still remain in the solo jazz canon including “Carolina Shout” and “The Charleston.” Johnson’s influence can be heard in the performances and compositions of his contemporaries and other performers like Duke Ellington and Teddy Wilson.

JOHNSON, PLAS JOHN, JR. (1931– ). Playing in New Orleans–inspired bands as a teenager, Johnson found his calling as a tenor saxophonist. Johnson moved from Louisiana to the western coast of the United States where he found work as a studio musician in Los Angeles in the mid-1950s. Primarily working in recording studios and not touring, Johnson was on albums led by Rosemary Clooney, Nat “King” Cole, Etta James, B. B. King, and Diana Ross. One of Johnson’s biggest claims to fame was his playing being featured on the soundtrack for the Pink Panther movies. Johnson did less studio work in the 1970s and 1980s and played in Los Angeles with musicians like Bill Berry, Carl Fontana, Herb Ellis, and Ray Brown.

JOHNSON, REGINALD “REGGIE” (1940– ). Johnson was an important Avant-Garde bassist during the 1960s who worked with many of the most important Free Jazz musicians. Johnson’s resume included dates and tours with Archie Shepp, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and Stanley Cowell. Over the next few years, Johnson did substantial work with Straight-Ahead artists including Art Blakey, Kenny Burrell, Blue Mitchell, and Tom Harrell.

JOHNSON, WILLIE GARY “BUNK” (1889?–1949). Johnson is a significant figure in the development of Early Jazz and was one of the first musicians to work with trumpet legend Buddy Bolden in the New Orleans area. Johnson developed his own trumpet sound that was inspired by Bolden but remained individual and was used in Early Jazz groups such as the Eagle and Superior bands and Henry Allen’s Brass Band. After spending much of the 1920s working in show bands and minstrel groups, Johnson was forced into a brief retirement in the 1930s due to health problems. Johnson resumed his career toward the end of the 1930s and worked with many touring groups, including the Yerba Buena Jazz Band and Sidney Bechet, before suffering from complications from a stroke in 1948.

JONES, ELVIN RAY (1927–2004). The youngest member and arguably the most famous of the Jones brothers, Elvin Jones took up the drums in high school and always had a unique fascination with rhythm. After playing in the Detroit area as a teenager, Jones moved to New York and found work quickly with artists including J. J. Johnson, Sonny Rollins, and fellow Michigan musician Donald Byrd. While playing with these groups, he was heard by tenor saxophonist John Coltrane who invited Jones to join him on tour. This group would work regularly during the 1960s, with Jones providing exemplary rhythmic support in Coltrane’s quartets.

Along with McCoy Tyner and Jimmy Garrison, Jones’ playing with Coltrane helped redefine the role of the drummer in small-group playing while also helping to develop a new, more interactive style of playing behind a soloist. After his time with Coltrane, he led his own groups for the next three decades. Joe Farrell, David Liebman, Eric Lewis, Nicholas Payton, and Wynton Marsalis all toured or played with Jones during his three-decade run as a bandleader. Jones suffered from a heart condition, which led to his death in 2004. He remains an important figure in jazz and a huge influence on drummers of all genres.

JONES, ETTA (1928–2001). Jones sang as a teenager and got work with the assistance of Leonard Feather in the 1940s. Much of her career was geared toward Soul Jazz and Rhythm and Blues (R&B) audiences, both of which she embraced. Jones performed frequently with her husband, tenor saxophonist Houston Person.

JONES, HAROLD (1940– ). Jones was one of many musicians who originated from the Indianapolis area. A drummer, he worked with musicians including Wes Montgomery and Freddie Hubbard, who both came from that area. Jones primarily freelanced throughout the next few decades and worked with Count Basie, Sarah Vaughan, Gene Harris, Natalie Cole, and Marian McPartland. See also DRUM SET.

JONES, HENRY “HANK” (1918–2010). A pianist, he was the oldest of the famous Jones family of musicians. His career lasted almost seven decades and included performances with many of the greatest musicians in jazz. He moved to New York while in his late twenties and found work playing Bebop with Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Benny Goodman, and Jazz at the Philharmonic. Jones also found steady work as a studio musician and worked for the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) for almost two decades, doing little touring.

In the 1970s he founded the Great Jazz Trio with Ron Carter and Tony Williams, although the personnel would change over the years. Jones primarily worked in trio settings during the 1980s, although he did significant work along with other pianists in duo settings. The Great Jazz Trio also often featured other artists as they toured and were very popular at many jazz festivals worldwide. Jones played in New York clubs for a majority of the 1990s and worked in several groups that featured tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano in the 2000s. Fellow pianist Geoff Keezer gathered many top pianists, including Kenny Barron and Chick Corea, to record a tribute album to Jones in the early 2000s.

JONES, JOSEPH “PHILLY JOE” (1923–1985). Like many of his contemporaries, Jones’ career started after he served time in the military in the 1940s. Jones worked in the Philadelphia area in the 1940s before moving to New York. He served a term working as the house drummer for the club Café Society where he played with many top-touring musicians, including Dexter Gordon and Dizzy Gillespie. Jones bounced around cities for a few years, playing engagements in Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia; and New York again in the 1950s. During his second tenure in New York, he became acquainted with Tadd Dameron and Miles Davis, both of whom would use him frequently during the 1950s. He was given the nickname “Philly” to identify him over the older Jo Jones, the great Count Basie Orchestra drummer.

His work with Miles Davis proved to be some of the most important playing of the decade. Jones, along with Red Garland and Paul Chambers, comprised the first rhythm section of Davis’ many great quartets. Because he frequently had to deal with his personal addictions, Davis fired him in 1959. Jones primarily freelanced for the rest of his career including spending several periods working with Bill Evans and Hank Mobley. In the 1980s, he formed a tribute group to Tadd Dameron, Dameronia.

JONES, QUINCY (1933– ). Prior to becoming one of the most influential producers and entertainment entrepreneurs ever, Jones was a trumpet player and jazz arranger. After attending several universities including the Schillinger House of Music (later renamed the Berklee School of Music) in the early 1950s, Jones worked with Clifford Brown, Count Basie, Lionel Hampton, and Dizzy Gillespie, as both a trumpeter and arranger. Jones moved to France in 1957, where he continued to study music in addition to working as a conductor and arranger.

Jones returned to the United States in the 1960s and began working as a producer and director for Mercury Records while continuing to compose and conduct. From this point in his career, Jones abandoned most jazz-related music and focused on his own compositions until he met and worked with Michael Jackson in Hollywood in the 1970s. Jackson and Jones forged a dynamic relationship, and Jones was highly influential in the success of many of Jackson’s records. Jones’ legacy is in being a racial pioneer, in that he was able to work his way higher into the recording industry than any African-American before him, and of his work as a composer and producer.

JONES, THADDEUS JOSEPH “THAD” (1923–1986). The middle child of the Jones family, Thad Jones first played cornet in groups led by his older brother, Hank Jones, until he served time in the military. In the 1950s, Jones worked with several big bands, most notably groups led by Charles Mingus and Count Basie. With the Basie band, Jones made his mark in the jazz world as a soloist, arranger, and composer. Jones led several small-group sessions during the late 1950s and early 1960s until he left Basie’s band to form his own big band, co-led with drummer Mel Lewis.

The Thad Jones–Mel Lewis Orchestra remained a working unit from its inception in the mid-1960s until 1979, when Jones left to pursue his own ventures. During their decade and a half together, the group was one of the top working big bands, powered by Jones’ compositions. “Tip Toe,” “Little Pixie,” and “A Child Is Born,” are examples of Jones’ standout big band writing, and much of the music written during this period remains active in the music world today. Jones was put in charge of the Count Basie orchestra in the mid-1980s before having to leave the group for health reasons.

JONES AND COLLINS ASTORIA HOT EIGHT. A group founded in the late 1920s in New Orleans. The group was not in existence very long and only made one recording, in 1929. Members of the ensemble include Nat Story, Louis Nelson, Theodore Purnell, and Joe Strode.

JONES-SMITH INC. A group led by Count Basie that had to record under a name not affiliated with Basie to avoid complications with existing record contracts. Jones-Smith Inc. members included his 1930s big band rhythm section of Walter Page and Jo Jones, in addition to tenor saxophonist Lester Young.

JORDAN, CLIFFORD LACONIA, JR. (1931–1993). Jordan took up the tenor saxophone while in high school in Chicago, Illinois. He worked with Max Roach and Sonny Stitt while in his early twenties before he moved to New York to pursue work with Horace Silver, J. J. Johnson, and Kenny Dorham. Jordan rejoined Roach for most of the 1960s, and the two toured the United States and Europe in addition to some performances with Charles Mingus. Jordan became a leader in the late 1960s and for most of the 1970s, and formed the group that would eventually become known as Eastern Rebellion, with Cedar Walton and Billy Higgins. Jordan primarily freelanced throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, working in a variety of groups ranging from duos to a big band he led in the early 1990s.

JORDAN, DUKE (1922–2006). Jordan’s career has primarily been as a first-call pianist for recording sessions and tours, although some time was spent focusing on leading groups under his own name. Born in New York, Jordan found success early on in New York playing in groups around town, some led by Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Jordan found work with Sonny Stitt, Coleman Hawkins, and Stan Getz. Jordan’s most famous pairing was with baritone saxophonist Cecil Payne, with whom he worked on and off for several decades. He took several years off to work as a cab driver before resuming his performance career in the 1970s. During the 1980s and 1990s, Jordan worked frequently as a sideman with Clark Terry, Charles McPherson, and Dannie Richmond. Jordan’s composition, “Jordu,” remains an important work in the jazz canon. See also JORDAN, SHEILA; PIANO.

JORDAN, LOUIS (1908–1975). Primarily a Rhythm and Blues (R&B) tenor saxophonist, Jordan starred in jazz groups led by Chick Webb and Fats Waller early in his career. Jordon became a leader in the 1950s and led a popular group, the Tympany Five. Many future jazz stars passed through his groups, including Idrees Sulieman, Paul Quinichette, Shadow Wilson, and Wild Bill Davis. See also TENOR SAXOPHONE.

JORDAN, SHEILA (1928– ). Jordan developed her vocal style while living in New York in the 1940s when she studied the music of Charlie Parker and put vocalese to many of his solos. She was briefly married to Duke Jordan in the 1950s while still mastering the Bebop style. Jordan was affiliated with several jazz pioneers throughout the 1950s and 1960s, including Lennie Tristano, George Russell, and Roswell Rudd. Jordan’s vocal style changed during each different era, experimenting with Free Jazz and incorporating a more modern approach to her work.

Jordan maintained a day job from the late 1960s until the 1980s, although she continued to work in a variety of jazz groups that toured and recorded frequently. Jordan’s breadth of performances included a duo with bass player Harvie Swartz, and in front of a big band led by George Gruntz. Jordan continues to be an influential vocalist due to her diversity of repertoire and unique ability to adapt to different genres.

JORDAN, STANLEY (1959– ). Jordan has been an active jazz guitarist since he was in high school. He was educated at the prestigious Princeton University in the late 1970s before working with jazz greats Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Carter. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Jordan gained a strong following from a variety of musicians including Al Di Meola, Omar Hakim, and Kenny Burrell, who were all very interested in Jordan’s technique, which consisted of him tapping the guitar strings instead of plucking them. Using the tapping technique allowed Jordan to play two lines simultaneously and/or accompany himself. See also GUITAR.

JUG BAND. Primarily a Folk ensemble, the jug band was a popular type of group among African-Americans during the 1920s. In addition to traditional instruments, jug bands contained a musician playing a jug that sounded bass notes and acted as a percussion instrument. Not common to jazz, the jug band played an influential role in Folk music that was important to the development of jazz.

JUMP. A style of jazz very similar to Swing that was considered to be very high energy and was performed for crowds that enjoyed being very active. Jump was very popular in the 1940s and had departed from its jazz roots and become more Pop music influenced in the 1950s.

JVC GRANDE PARADE DU JAZZ NICE. An important festival created by George Wein in the 1970s in Nice, France. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, the festival became a multicultural festival that included music from across the globe and not strictly jazz. The festival name was changed to the Nice Music Festival in 1993. See also JAZZ FESTIVAL.

JVC JAZZ FESTIVAL NEW YORK. This is the name the famous Newport Jazz Festival adopted when George Wein took charge in 1986. After a brief period in which the Newport Jazz Festival took on the name of its sponsor, Kool, the Japanese Victor Corporation (JVC) took over promoting and sponsoring the festival for the next several decades.