Calvin Jones (musician)
Encyclopedia
Calvin James Jones, Sr. (September 27, 1929 – October 10, 2004) was an American
trombonist, bassist
, pianist
, bandleader
, composer
and educator. Born in Chicago
, Illinois
, raised in Memphis, Tennessee
, Jones moved to Washington, D.C.
in the 1970s where he remained until his death from a heart attack
in October 2004. He was Professor of Music at the University of the District of Columbia
and served as director of the UDC Jazz Studies Program from 1976 until his sudden death in October 2004.
, renamed in 2005 in memory of Jones. Produced by the UDC Jazz Studies Program and the Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives, the annual festival began in 1987 as part of a citywide tribute to Duke Ellington
.
Prior to coming to the university, Jones taught instrumental music in the District of Columbia Public School DCPS
system for over ten years. His creative approach to teaching and his commitment to methods that nurtured an understanding and appreciation of jazz, well before it was considered mainstream, served as a model for generations of musicians and educators. Many of his students have gone on to become internationally recognized jazz artists.
As a composer
/arranger
, Jones produced an extensive selection of works. He performed as musical director and composer/arranger for Remembering U Street at the Lincoln Theatre
in Washington, D.C. (May 2003), and conducted the Blues Alley
Big Band in a program devoted to the Calvin Jones Library.
A trombonist of national recognition, he performed at the Wolf Trap Jazz Festival, the Beale Street Jazz Festival, with the Howard University Jazz Repertory Orchestra Performing the Music of the Legendary Billy Eckstine Orchestra, and at A Jazz Salute to Lionel Hampton - A Tribute to Eubie Blake. He was a member of the orchestra at the Howard Theatre
and the original Ray Charles
Big Band and performed regularly with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra. The Smithsonian Movement in Classic Jazz (SMCJS) led by Jones, appeared on programs produced by The Program in African American Culture at the National Museum of American History
, Smithsonian Institution.
He performed with the orchestras of touring stage productions at all the major theatres in Washington, D.C. He was the first African-American to play in both the orchestra at the National Theatre
and the Washington Redskins
Professional Band, after the merger of the formerly segregated local offices of the American Federation of Musicians
. Although most audiences knew him as a trombonist, he was also a distinguished pianist
and an accomplished bassist
.
He graduated from Tennessee State University
in Nashville (1953) where he was an original member of the Tennessee State Collegians Jazz Orchestra. After serving in the United States Army
as a member of the 75th Army Band, he decided to remain in the Washington, D.C. area. He later continued graduate studies at Howard University
, Washington, D.C. where he received a Master of Arts degree in Music Education (1970).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
trombonist, bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
, pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and educator. Born in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, raised in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Jones moved to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in the 1970s where he remained until his death from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in October 2004. He was Professor of Music at the University of the District of Columbia
University of the District of Columbia
The University of the District of Columbia is a historically black, public university located in Washington, D.C. UDC is one of only a few urban land-grant universities in the country and a member of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund...
and served as director of the UDC Jazz Studies Program from 1976 until his sudden death in October 2004.
Career
Under his direction the UDC Jazz Studies Program developed into producing premier collegiate jazz ensembles that are recognized throughout the Washington, D.C. community. The University's big band, the UDC Jazz Ensemble, has firmly established its reputation at the Calvin Jones BIG BAND Jazz FestivalCalvin Jones BIG BAND Jazz Festival
Usually held the last Monday evening in April, the Calvin Jones BIG BAND Jazz Festival features big band jazz ensembles from three Washington, D.C. area universities - University of the District of Columbia , Howard University, and the University of Maryland...
, renamed in 2005 in memory of Jones. Produced by the UDC Jazz Studies Program and the Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives, the annual festival began in 1987 as part of a citywide tribute to Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
.
Prior to coming to the university, Jones taught instrumental music in the District of Columbia Public School DCPS
District of Columbia Public Schools
District of Columbia Public Schools is the traditional public school system of Washington, D.C. in the United States.- Composition and enrollment :...
system for over ten years. His creative approach to teaching and his commitment to methods that nurtured an understanding and appreciation of jazz, well before it was considered mainstream, served as a model for generations of musicians and educators. Many of his students have gone on to become internationally recognized jazz artists.
As a composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
/arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, Jones produced an extensive selection of works. He performed as musical director and composer/arranger for Remembering U Street at the Lincoln Theatre
Lincoln Theatre (Washington, D.C.)
Lincoln Theatre is a theater in Washington, D.C. located at 1215 U Street, next to Ben's Chili Bowl. The theater, located on "Washington's Black Broadway", served the city's African American community when segregation kept them out of other venues. The Lincoln Theatre included a movie house and...
in Washington, D.C. (May 2003), and conducted the Blues Alley
Blues Alley
Blues Alley, founded in 1965, is a jazz dinner-and-nightclub in an alley off Wisconsin Avenue in Washington, D.C.'s Georgetown neighborhood.As of 2008, exclusively jazz musicians are booked into Blues Alley for approximately 360 nights out of the year....
Big Band in a program devoted to the Calvin Jones Library.
A trombonist of national recognition, he performed at the Wolf Trap Jazz Festival, the Beale Street Jazz Festival, with the Howard University Jazz Repertory Orchestra Performing the Music of the Legendary Billy Eckstine Orchestra, and at A Jazz Salute to Lionel Hampton - A Tribute to Eubie Blake. He was a member of the orchestra at the Howard Theatre
Howard Theatre
The Howard Theatre is a historic theatre, located at 620 T Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C..Opened in 1910, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974....
and the original Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
Big Band and performed regularly with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra. The Smithsonian Movement in Classic Jazz (SMCJS) led by Jones, appeared on programs produced by The Program in African American Culture at the National Museum of American History
National Museum of American History
The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. Among the items on display are the original Star-Spangled Banner and Archie Bunker's...
, Smithsonian Institution.
He performed with the orchestras of touring stage productions at all the major theatres in Washington, D.C. He was the first African-American to play in both the orchestra at the National Theatre
National Theatre (Washington, D.C.)
The National Theatre is located in Washington, D.C., and is a venue for a variety of live stage productions with seating for 1,676.Despite its name, it is not a governmentally funded national theatre, but operated by a private, non-profit organization....
and the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
Professional Band, after the merger of the formerly segregated local offices of the American Federation of Musicians
American Federation of Musicians
The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada is a labor union of professional musicians in the United States and Canada...
. Although most audiences knew him as a trombonist, he was also a distinguished pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
and an accomplished bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
.
He graduated from Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University is a land-grant university located in Nashville, Tennessee. TSU is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee.-History:...
in Nashville (1953) where he was an original member of the Tennessee State Collegians Jazz Orchestra. After serving in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
as a member of the 75th Army Band, he decided to remain in the Washington, D.C. area. He later continued graduate studies at Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
, Washington, D.C. where he received a Master of Arts degree in Music Education (1970).