Carmell Jones
Trumpet
About
Carmell Jones was a hard bop trumpeter known for his warm, lyrical tone and fluid technique, often compared to his primary influence Clifford Brown. He rose to prominence on the early 1960s Los Angeles jazz scene, recording three albums as a leader for Pacific Jazz including the acclaimed The Remarkable Carmell Jones with Harold Land and Gary Peacock. In 1964 he joined Horace Silver's quintet and was featured on the landmark album Song for My Father alongside Joe Henderson, Teddy Smith, and Roger Humphries. That same year DownBeat named him New Star Trumpeter. He also recorded Jay Hawk Talk for Prestige with Barry Harris and Jimmy Heath. In 1965 he relocated to Berlin, where he spent fifteen years as a soloist and arranger with the SFB Big Band. He returned to Kansas City in 1980 and taught music in local schools until his death in 1996.
Trivia
Jones's first name derives from a Spanish word meaning "song." He had Spanish and Native American ancestry in addition to African American heritage. Before his music career took off, he worked as a sleeping car porter on trains between Kansas City and Chicago. He was performing in the band at the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel on July 17, 1981, when the catastrophic skywalk collapse killed 114 people — he escaped uninjured. His daughter Stella Jones, born in Berlin, became a jazz and gospel vocalist in her own right.
Early Life
Carmell William Jones was born on July 19, 1936, in Kansas City, Kansas, to parents who were both schoolteachers. He began piano lessons at age five and switched to trumpet at seven, despite his father — a former professional drummer — initially dismissing the instrument. He grew up playing alongside childhood friend and saxophonist Nathan Davis in junior and senior high school bands. After two years studying music education at the University of Kansas, he enlisted in the Air Force and was stationed at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii, where he played with the 501st Air Force Band and had the opportunity to perform with Billie Holiday. Following his discharge he moved to Los Angeles in 1960, where saxophonist Bud Shank hired him on the spot after hearing him sit in at a Malibu club.
Carmell Jones Solos
1964
Trumpet solo - The Natives Are Restless Tonight - 1964
4/4 swing in G minor at 287 BPM
Trumpet solo - The Kicker - 1964
4/4 swing in Bâ™ major at 262 BPM