Papa Jo Jones
The Father of Modern Jazz Drumming Papa Jo Jones was the epitome of swing, from his very early days with the Count Basie band in the ’30s until he passed away in 1985. His style, grace, and incredibly musical approach to drumming inspired other legends, including Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, …
“I don’t waste time,” Papa Jo says, the words snapping upside my head like a malevolent rimshot, the eyes bugging out and his voice becoming as hard and sharp as flint. “Time is too precious.
Whose playing endures through the decades? Whose music do we reach for when we want new ideas? When we want to practice? When we want to laugh? Who inspires and delights us most?
Simply put, jazz drumming eras could arguably be viewed as pre-Papa and post- Papa. Such was the immeasurable contribution of Jo Jones, whose elegant touch, feel, and sound marked a connecting bridge to our modern sense of jazz swing. Jonathan David Samuel Jones was born in 1911 in Chicago, …
In this lesson we’ll explore a versatile and great-sounding fill from jazz legend Papa Jo Jones. The basic pattern is notated in Exercise 1. Pay close attention to the sticking—it’s essential to start and end the fill with your lead hand.
Wuv, Joe Morello, Tim Alexander, Scott F. Crago, Steve Jocz, Cyrus Bolooki, Bun E. Carlos, Philip Peeples, Bobby Caldwell, Brain St. Clair, Rikki Rockett, Buddy Rich, Art Blakey, Papa Jo Jones, Pat Wilson, Bill Stewart, Danny Gottlieb, Mike Bordin
Tré Cool, Wuv, Nicko McBrain, Dave Krusen, Phil Ehart, Trey Gray, Steve Gadd, Joe Morello, Rod Morgenstein, Peter Erskine, Neil Peart, Mel Lewis, Roy Burns, Mark Parsons, Rick Van Horn, Tony Williams, Buddy Rich, John Bonham, Tito Puente, Alan Dawson, Gary Chester, Eric Carr, Larrie Londin, Art Blakey, Philly Joe …
Chad Sexton, Don Lombardi, Herb Brochstein, Roy Burns, Vic Firth, Ron Spagnardi, Virgil Donati, John Tempesta, Charlie Benante, Steve Gadd, Giovanni Hidalgo, Bill Stewart, Tony Royster Jr. , Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Paul Wertico, Jack DeJohnette, Steve Ferrone, Papa Jo Jones, Chad Smith, Mario Calire, Jeff Porcaro, Jason Bonham, Bun …
Louie Bellson, Alan Dawson, Sly Dunbar, Steve Gadd, David Garibaldi, Danny Gottlieb, Omar Hakim, Larrie Londin, Neil Peart, Buddy Rich, Andy Newmark, Jimmy Bralower, Jules Moss, Bill Bruford, Gil Moore, Carl Palmer, John Bonham, Karen Carpenter, Nick Ceroli, Papa Jo Jones, Philly Joe Jones, Roy Knapp, Shelly Manne, Kenny Clare, …
Tony Thompson, Nicko McBrain, Paul Wertico, Peter Erskine, Odie Payne Jr., Casey Jones, Morris Jennings, Jimmy Tillman, Kevan McKenzie, Philly Joe Jones, Papa Jo Jones, Vinnie Colaiuta, Mel Lewis, Steve Smith
Papa Jo Jones, Slim Jim Phantom, Lee Crystal, Rod Morgenstein, Jackie Santos, Larry Mullen Jr., Billy Cobham, Bill Bruford, Rayford Griffin, Paul Jamieson, Peter Erskine, Neil Peart
Posted: February 3, 2023
2023 Jazz Fest Music Lineup Announced!
Dead & Company, Ed Sheeran, Lizzo, Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers, Santana, Jon Batiste, Jill Scott, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Kane Brown, H.E.R., Steve Miller Band, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Gary Clark Jr., Leon Bridges, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Plus Hundreds More! To Appear at the 2023 New Orleans …
Posted: July 7, 2020
Famed Jazz Drummer Billy Hart to Conduct Free “Evolution of Contemporary Jazz Drumming” Zoom Presentation
On Sunday, July 19, at 5 p.m. Pacific Time, world-renowned drummer and educator Billy Hart will conduct a free Zoom presentation, “The Evolution of Contemporary Jazz Drummers.” Hart has recorded over six hundred albums, including seminal dates with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Stan Getz, Joe Zawinul, Sam Rivers, Pharoah Sanders, …
Posted: May 14, 2019
Matt Tecu of Jakob and The Echo In The Canyon Band
I am the drummer on the movie and album Echo In The Canyon. It’s a documentary/concert film about the sixties Laurel Canyon music scene, featuring the music of such artists as the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, the Mamas and the Papas, and Brian Wilson.
Posted: April 25, 2019
BMG To Release Soundtrack To Acclaimed New Documentary Echo In The Canyon
Echo In The Canyon – the illuminating new documentary film directed by Andrew Slater that explores the beginnings of the Laurel Canyon music scene (1965 -1967) through the stories of those who lived it, and the artists who carry its influence to this day.
Posted: November 2, 2015
Dom Famularo’s Teachers List
Over the course of his forty-year career traveling the globe to teach, perform, and conduct clinics, Dom Famularo has interacted with some of the finest drummers and drum instructors in the world. The following list contains many of those names, organized by country/continent. If you’re looking for top-notch drum instruction, …
Posted: January 8, 2014
Drum Instructor Sam Ulano Passes
Sam Ulano, a beloved yet controversial player and instructor who Modern Drummer readers will recognize from the many ads he ran in the magazine over the years, passed away last week, at the age of ninety-three. MD published an interview with Ulano in the September 2011 issue, which we’ve reprinted …
Posted: October 1, 2013
Hidden Gems
Great Drum Performances Uncovered
The October 2013 issue of Modern Drummer magazine features an article in which seven MD Pro Panelists share some of their favorite “hidden gems.??? Here MD’s editorial staff weighs in on their personal favorites….
Posted: October 5, 2012
David Halicky of The Vim Dicta
Hey Modern Drummer people! I’m David Halicky. Through drumming I can truly express who I am and how I’m feeling.
Posted: July 30, 2012
MD Education Team Weighs In On: Reading Music
We asked the members of the MD Education Team if they think that reading skills are crucial. Here’s what they had to say….
Posted: March 19, 2012
Tim Walsh of the Stepkids
I’m Tim Walsh of the Stepkids, and I’m excited to be on here and hope to add to the wealth of knowledge that is MD’s awesome thirty-five-year history…
Posted: December 28, 2011
10 Indispensable Funk Albums
Funk music is all about the beat, and it’s no coincidence that many of our most influential drummers have made a name for themselves playing the style. If you want to learn the essence of the style, here are ten classic albums you should definitely check out.
Posted: December 6, 2011
Rifftide: The Life
and Opinions of
Paoa Jo Jones
As Told To Albert Murray
The father of modern drumming kept his bag of tricks safely hidden. Thank goodness his playing spoke for itself.
Posted: July 5, 2011
Joao Lencastre
My name is Joao Lencastre and I was born in Lisbon, Portugal. I started to play the drums at the age of thirteen. Since I started playing I’ve been collaborating with many different groups in all styles of music, including metal, reggae, Afrobeat, electronic, big band, alternative rock, and all …
Posted: May 27, 2011
Remembering “The Chapin Magic”
Modern Drummer’s 2011 Readers Poll Hall of Fame inductee is the late drummer/educator Jim Chapin, who passed away in 2009.
Posted: September 16, 2010
Shadow Wilson: Unsung Hero Of ’40s/’50s Jazz
Though not a major influence in the same sense as Max Roach and Kenny Clarke, Shadow Wilson was nonetheless in considerable demand during the ’40s, and he fit in admirably with all the groups he played with during his relatively brief career….
Posted: August 25, 2010
Steve Jordan: Web Exclusive
If you ask Steve Jordan who his favorite drummer is, be prepared to get hit with a never-ending list of influences, ranging from the obvious—like jazz greats Kenny Clarke and Philly Joe Jones and funk innovators David Garibaldi and Stephen Ferrone—to the more obscure, like Motown/disco session drummer Andrew Smith, …
Posted: December 18, 2009
“Papa” Jo Jones: Drumming’s Fearsome Father Figure
It’s been said that modern drumming made its first step towards maturity when Jo Jones arrived in New York in 1936 with the Count Basie band…
Posted: December 15, 2009
Warren “Baby??? Dodds: The World’s First Great Jazz Drummer
After leaving Oliver, Dodds worked with Freddie Keppard, Johnny Dodds, and Lil Armstrong, and later recorded with Louis Armstrong’s Hot Seven…
Posted: December 10, 2009
Max Roach: Setting Standards And Raising Bars
If you were to ask any jazz historian to name who they feel is most responsible for setting the standards in bebop drumming, 99.9% of the time you’re going to get one name: Max Roach.
Posted: December 7, 2009
Influencer: Alan Dawson
Alan Dawson was an outstanding jazz drummer and a legendary teacher. Alan was known for his ingenious use of rudiments, his melodic approach to drumming, and an extremely advanced level of hand and foot coordination.
Posted: December 3, 2009
Philly Joe Jones: One Of The Greatest Hard Boppers
Philly Joe Jones is one of the greatest of the hard boppers. His contributions to the art of jazz drumming are immeasurable. He was a virtuoso with a pair of brushes, and a genius at turning the rudiments into fluent musical ideas. More than any of his peers, it was …
Posted: August 20, 2009
Remembering Jim Chapin
The venerable drum teacher passed away this July 4, leaving behind thousands of acolytes–and a million great stories. In this companion to the In Memoriam in the October issue of MD, we hear from some of Chapin’s many friends and drumming disciples.
Posted: June 10, 2009
Rob Bujak of Nova
I am currently drumming for the band Nova, out of San Francisco. I'm gonna have to admit that I have an obsession with drums; all I do is think about drumming.
Posted: February 26, 2009
Rhythmm Epkins
I am currently the drummer and backup vocalist for The English Beat in America.
Posted: October 15, 2006
Jeff Hamilton: Swinging to Success
Few jazz drummers have had careers as rewarding and successful as Jeff Hamilton’s. And with several new releases and projects in the works–and an MD Readers Poll win–2006 may be one of his finest years yet.
