Home » Jazz Musicians » Carmell Jones

Carmell Jones

An excellent hard bop trumpeter, Carmell Jones would probably have been much better-known today if he had not moved to Europe in the mid-'60s at the height of his career.

In 1960, after two years in the army and two years at the University of Kansas as a music education and trumpet major, Carmell left the midwest and became a studio musician in California. He recorded with artists such as Sammy Davis, Jr, Bob Hope, and Nelson Riddle. During this chapter in the Carmell Jones success story, he was being compared to Clifford Brown and Fats Navarro.

Carmell developed a close association with Bud Shank as a member of his quintet. He recorded with many other notables and most importantly, he recorded his first album under his own name and contract with Pacific Jazz - The Remarkable Carmell Jones. Thinking back about those days, Carmell said, "I've probably played with all of the bands that you've heard of." Jones recorded a couple of albums as a leader for Pacific Jazz and made records with Bud Shank, Harold Land, Curtis Amy, and most significantly Gerald Wilson's Orchestra (1961-1963).

Jones toured with Horace Silver for a year (1964-1965), recording the original version of "Song for My Father" with Silver before moving to Berlin. He was invited by Joachim Berendt, the German jazz critic who had heard Jones while in Kansas City, to go to Germany to play and record. In 1965, he headed for Europe where he would stay for the next 15 years. Although quite active in Europe, Carmell Jones was largely forgotten by the time he moved back to Kansas City in 1980; however, a 1982 album for Revelation helped remind a few listeners how good he still was.

Tags

1
Liner Notes

Nathan Davis Quintet: The Hip Walk

Read "Nathan Davis Quintet: The Hip Walk" reviewed by Ken Dryden


There are numerous examples of talented American jazz musicians who had long careers but were overlooked by critics, broadcasters and much of the jazz audience, often because they spent decades as full time jazz educators, which limited their opportunities to tour in support of their recordings. Nathan Davis, primarily known as a tenor and soprano saxophonist, though he was also a fine flautist and clarinetist, falls into that category, though part of the reason he is lesser known is that ...

Album Review

Horace Silver: Live New York Revisited

Read "Live New York Revisited" reviewed by Stefano Merighi


Benchè il profilo artistico di Horace Silver sia preso a modello in modo paradigmatico per definire lo stile hard bop nel jazz moderno, è altresì interessante notare come Silver, sin dalle sue prime uscite, abbia sempre cercato di evitare gli schemi predeterminati che soprattutto le etichette discografiche cercavano di replicare dopo aver trovato la formula del successo. Ad esempio, Silver non amava le scalette miste, quelle cioè che infilavano d'abitudine uno standard proveniente da Tin Pan Alley all'interno di un ...

18
Album Review

Horace Silver Quintet: Live New York Revisited

Read "Live New York Revisited" reviewed by Chris May


This fabulous album, recorded during three New York club engagements in 1964, 1965 and 1966, ranks among the finest in the pianist/composer's illustrious catalogue. There are several things going for it: the quality and shared intentionality of the two, slightly different, lineups; the choice of material and its careful sequencing; the vibrancy of the performances, which is enough to practically raise the dead; and the quality of the CD mastering by the ezz-thetics label's sonic jedi Michael Brändli, whose work ...

6
Album Review

Harold Land: Westward Bound!

Read "Westward Bound!" reviewed by Peter J. Hoetjes


One can't help but wonder how large the stage may have been for tenor saxophonist Harold Land had he not tethered himself to the west coast for the majority of his career. In 1954 Land moved from Santa Monica to Los Angeles and quickly earned himself a place in the immensely popular Clifford Brown/Max Roach band, beginning with the aptly named Jam Session (EmArcy, 1954). Called back to Los Angeles in 1956 by the responsibilities of being a ...

10
Album Review

Harold Land: Westward Bound!

Read "Westward Bound!" reviewed by Pierre Giroux


Until 1954 Harold Land was a relatively unknown tenor saxophonist. He experienced a surge in his standing with the release of Clifford Brown & Max Roach (Emarcy 1954) when he was part of this high-profile, but short lived, bebop quintet (1954-56). A decade later, this hard-bop player was recognized for his engaging ideas and robust tone and is the center of Westward Bound! a Reel To Real Limited Edition 180 gram 2LP gatefold release produced by Cory Weeds and Zev ...

333
Album Review

Carmell Jones: Mosaic Select 2

Read "Mosaic Select 2" reviewed by C. Andrew Hovan


I have to claim a special affinity for the music of trumpeter Carmell Jones as documented on this three-disc set. Going back to an interview I conducted with Mosaic’s Michael Cuscuna a few years back, I commented on how much of the Pacific Jazz material that had been reissued up to that point consisted largely of albums from the ‘50s, ignoring the following decade’s trinkets. Cuscuna shared my feelings and expressed his desire to find some way to package items ...

Read more articles

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Carmell Jones

Jazz Musician of the Day: Carmell Jones

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Carmell Jones' birthday today!

An excellent hard bop trumpeter, Carmell Jones would probably have been much better-known today if he had not moved to Europe in the mid-'60s at the height of his career. In 1960, after two years in the army and two years at the University of Kansas as a music education and trumpet major, Carmell left the midwest and became a studio musician in California. He recorded with artists such as Sammy ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Carmell Jones

Jazz Musician of the Day: Carmell Jones

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Carmell Jones' birthday today!

An excellent hard bop trumpeter, Carmell Jones would probably have been much better-known today if he had not moved to Europe in the mid-'60s at the height of his career. In 1960, after two years in the army and two years at the University of Kansas as a music education and trumpet major, Carmell left the midwest and became a studio musician in California. He recorded with artists such as Sammy ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Carmell Jones

Jazz Musician of the Day: Carmell Jones

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Carmell Jones' birthday today!

An excellent hard bop trumpeter, Carmell Jones would probably have been much better-known today if he had not moved to Europe in the mid-'60s at the height of his career. In 1960, after two years in the army and two years at the University of Kansas as a music education and trumpet major, Carmell left the midwest and became a studio musician in California. He recorded with artists such as Sammy ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Carmell Jones

Jazz Musician of the Day: Carmell Jones

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Carmell Jones' birthday today!

An excellent hard bop trumpeter, Carmell Jones would probably have been much better-known today if he had not moved to Europe in the mid-'60s at the height of his career. In 1960, after two years in the army and two years at the University of Kansas as a music education and trumpet major, Carmell left the midwest and became a studio musician in California. He recorded with artists such as Sammy ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Carmell Jones

Jazz Musician of the Day: Carmell Jones

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Carmell Jones' birthday today!

An excellent hard bop trumpeter, Carmell Jones would probably have been much better-known today if he had not moved to Europe in the mid-\'60s at the height of his career. In 1960, after two years in the army and two years at the University of Kansas as a music education and trumpet major, Carmell left the midwest and became a studio musician in California. He recorded with artists such as Sammy ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Carmell Jones

Jazz Musician of the Day: Carmell Jones

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Carmell Jones' birthday today!

An excellent hard bop trumpeter, Carmell Jones would probably have been much better-known today if he had not moved to Europe in the mid-\'60s at the height of his career. In 1960, after two years in the army and two years at the University of Kansas as a music education and trumpet major, Carmell left the midwest and became a studio musician in California. He recorded with artists such as Sammy ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Carmell Jones

Jazz Musician of the Day: Carmell Jones

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Carmell Jones' birthday today!

An excellent hard bop trumpeter, Carmell Jones would probably have been much better-known today if he had not moved to Europe in the mid-\'60s at the height of his career. In 1960, after two years in the army and two years at the University of Kansas as a music education and trumpet major, Carmell left the midwest and became a studio musician in California. He recorded with artists such as Sammy ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Carmell Jones

Jazz Musician of the Day: Carmell Jones

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Carmell Jones' birthday today!

An excellent hard bop trumpeter, Carmell Jones would probably have been much better-known today if he had not moved to Europe in the mid-\'60s at the height of his career. In 1960, after two years in the army and two years at the University of Kansas as a music education and trumpet major, Carmell left the midwest and became a studio musician in California. He recorded with artists such as Sammy ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Carmell Jones

Jazz Musician of the Day: Carmell Jones

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Carmell Jones' birthday today! An excellent hard bop trumpeter, Carmell Jones would probably have been much better-known today if he had not moved to Europe in the mid-\'60s at the height of his career. In 1960, after two years in the army and two years at the University of Kansas as a music education and trumpet major, Carmell left the midwest and became a studio musician in California. He recorded with artists such as Sammy ...

1

Recording

Carmell Jones Quartet, 1960

Carmell Jones Quartet, 1960

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

For years, trumpeter Carmell Jones was thought to have made his first recording in October 1960 in jny: Los Angeles on a date led by tenor saxophonist Curtis Amy for the Pacific Jazz label. Two months earlier, Jones, at age 24, had left jny: Kansas City and traveled to Los Angeles in search of studio work as a sideman. He recorded with Amy and then Bud Shank before recording his first album as a leader in June 1961—The Remarkable Carmell ...

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Live New York...

Ezz-thetics
2022

buy

Westward Bound!

Reel to Real
2021

buy

Mosaic Select 2

Mosaic Records
2003

buy

Blue Break Beats...

Universal Music Group
1993

buy

Similar

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.