A harmonically advanced trumpeter/cornetist with a distinctive sound and a talented arranger/composer, Thad Jones (the younger brother of
Hank and older brother of
Elvin) had a very productive career. Self-taught on trumpet, he started playing professionally when he was 16 with
Hank Jones and
Sonny Stitt. After serving in the military (1943-46), Jones worked in territory bands in the Midwest. During 1950-53 he performed regularly with
Billy Mitchell's quintet in Detroit and he made a few recordings with
Charles Mingus (1954-55). Jones became well-known during his long period (1954-63) with
Count Basie's Orchestra, taking a "Pop Goes the Weasel" chorus on "April in Paris" and sharing solo duties with
Joe Newman. While with
Basie, Jones had the opportunity to write some arrangements and he became a busy freelance writer after 1963. He joined the staff of CBS, co-led a quintet with
Pepper Adams and near the end of 1965 organized a big band with drummer
Mel Lewis that from February 1966 on played Monday nights at the Village Vanguard. During the next decade the orchestra (although always a part-time affair) became famous and gave Jones an outlet for his writing. He composed one standard ("A Child Is Born") along with many fine pieces including "Fingers," "Little Pixie" and "Tiptoe." Among the sidemen in the Thad Jones/
Mel Lewis Orchestra (which started out as an all-star group and later on featured younger players) were trumpeters
Bill Berry,
Danny Stiles,
Richard Williams,
Marvin Stamm,
Snooky Young, and
Jon Faddis, trombonists
Bob Brookmeyer,
Jimmy Knepper and
Quentin Jackson, the reeds of
Jerome Richardson,
Jerry Dodgion,
Eddie Daniels,
Joe Farrell,
Pepper Adams and
Billy Harper, pianists
Hank Jones, and
Roland Hanna, and bassists
Richard Davis and
George Mraz. In 1978 Jones surprised
Lewis by suddenly leaving the band and moving to Denmark, an action he never explained. He wrote for a radio orchestra and led his own group called
Eclipse. In late 1984 Jones took over the leadership of
the Count Basie Orchestra but within a year bad health forced him to retire. Thad Jones recorded as a leader for Debut (1954-55), Blue Note, Period, United Artists, Roulette, Milestone, Solid State, Artists House, A&M and Metronome and many of the Thad Jones/
Mel Lewis Orchestra's best recordings have been reissued on a five-CD Mosaic box set.
1956 - Detroit-New York Junction
Cosmic Messenger is more elegant, European-flavored jazz-rock from the French virtuoso Jean-Luc Ponty, and pretty much in the same mold as his previous Atlantic albums but with gradually tightening control over every parameter of performance. Ponty's analog-delay special effects on the title track are spectacular, and the album is loaded more than ever with revolving electronic arpeggios as Ponty's own involvement with the ARP synthesizer grows. But there is still plenty of his fluid, slippery electric violin soloing to be heard within the tight structures of these pieces, and the tunes themselves are often pretty good. In addition, this fusion express finds its way into the funk on "The Art of Happiness," and there are some tricky rhythmic experiments on some tunes.
