Thaddeus Joseph "Thad" Jones (March 28, 1923 – August 20, 1986) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader.

Biography

Thad Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan 28th March, 1923, to Henry and Olivvia Jones, a musical family of ten (an older brother was pianist Hank Jones and a younger brother was drummer Elvin Jones). Thad Jones was a self-taught musician, performing professionally by the age of sixteen. He served in U.S. Army bands during World War II (1943–46).

After Army service including an association with the U.S. Military School of Music and working with area bands in Des Moines and Oklahoma City, Jones became a member of the Count Basie Orchestra in May 1954. He was featured as a soloist on such well-known tunes as "April in Paris", "Shiny Stockings" and "Corner Pocket". However, his main contribution was his nearly two dozen arrangements and compositions for the Basie Orchestra, including "The Deacon", "H.R.H." (Her Royal Highness, in honor of the band's command performance in London), "Counter Block", and lesser known tracks such as "Speaking of Sounds". His hymn-like ballad "To You" was performed by the Basie band combined with the Duke Ellington Orchestra in their only recording together, and the recording Dance Along With Basie contains nearly an entire album of Jones' uncredited arrangements of standard tunes.

The Fabulous Thad Jones is the debut album by American jazz trumpeter Thad Jones recorded in 1954 and originally released on Charles Mingus' Debut Records label as a 10 inch LP. The album was later re-issued as a 12 inch LP titled simply, Thad Jones.

Release history

The Fabulous Thad Jones (Debut DLP-12) was initially released with a total of 6 tracks recorded on 11 August, 1954. The 12 inch LP version, Thad Jones (Debut DEB 127), included an additional 4 tracks taken from a 10 March, 1955 recording session that had previously been released as Thad Jones/Charles Mingus - Jazz Collaborations, Vol. 1 (Debut DLP 17). The 12 inch re-issue also replaced the original "Get Out of Town" with an alternate take and included an unedited version of "One More Time" different from that on the ...Jazz Collaborations... release. Later CD re-issues include both versions of "Get Out of Town" and "One More Time" as bonus tracks.

Reception

The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the CD reissue, which also compiles tracks from Jones' second LP, 4½ stars stating "The 12 performances (which include two alternate takes) really put the focus on Jones' accessible yet unpredictable style".