Thad Jones

Thaddeus Joseph Jones (March 28th 1923 - August 21st 1986) was a Trompettiste, Compositeur and Leader of American Jazz.

Thad Jones was born with Pontiac (Michigan) in an large family from musicians (one as of his/her brothers older is the pianist Hank Jones and the another young person beater Elvin Jones). Autodidact, Thad Jones was professional musician dice the 16 years age. He played in orchestras of U.S. Army during the Second world war of 1943 to 1946).

After the war, Thad Jones continued his career and about 1954 it composes and made arrangements for Count Basie with which it plays. It remains with Basie during nine years. The music of Jones was of a very original style which always did not correspond with the style of the orchestra of Basie. With the beginning of the year 1960, it became arranger independent in the area of New York.

In 1965 him and the beater Mel Lewis forms the " Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band ". In the beginning the group started with " Jam session s" abstract in the studios of New York then to famous the " Village Vanguard ". The group accepted a very favorable reception then and Jones continued to direct it during 12 years. In 1979 they gained a " Grammy Awards " for the album Live in Munich . Jones also taught with the William Paterson College " in the New Jersey.

In 1978 (with the great surprise of his/her colleagues of New York) Thad Jones moved brutally with Copenhagen with the Denmark where several others musicies of American jazz had left to live. Over there, it format a new group Eclipse , composed for Big band of the Danish radio and taught the jazz with the royal Academy of Copenhagen.

One year before his death, Jones returned to the United States to direct the " Count Basie Orchestrated " but it had to stop because of its health condition. It turned over then to Copenhagen for the last months of its life. It is buried with the cemetery Vestre Kirkegard of Copenhagen.

Charles Mingus said of Thad Jones " … It is the largest trumpet player whom I heard in my vie". Towards the end of its life, its arrangements and its compositions occulted its faculty of instrumentalist.

Its composition most famous remainder has Child is Born .

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Thad Jones

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