Few swing era sidemen had as much commercial success in later years as Jonah Jones (1908-2000). A hot trumpeter with Stuff Smith’s combo on 52nd Street in the 1930s and Cab Calloway orchestra and small groups (1941-52), Jones was an exciting player who could create explosive solos as he showed on memorable and classic encounters with Sidney Bechet during 1953-54.
But as with most swing soloists by the mid-1950s, Jonah Jones was struggling a bit. Sometimes he played with Dixieland groups and at other times with society orchestras, making a living but not flourishing. That all changed in 1955 when he was booked into the Embers in New York with a quartet. He was encouraged to keep the music a little quiet by using a mute, and with the addition of a shuffle rhythm, Jones developed an accessible style that appealed to the upper class patrons. He recorded an album, Jonah Jones – At The Embers, for the Groove label in 1956 (later acquired by RCA Victor) and the result was a surprisingly popular recording. His melodic and concise versions of such songs as “Muskrat Ramble,” “Lullaby Of Rhythm,” “From This Moment On,” and particularly “It’s All Right With Me” appealed to a wide audience beyond jazz.
In 1957 Jonah Jones signed with the Capitol label and his mixture of Dixieland, swing standards, show tunes, and pop songs became so popular that he recorded 18 albums for th
