Dill Jones

An excellent, if now somewhat forgotten, stride pianist, Dill Jones was born in Wales, studied piano in London, and played with Humphrey Lyttelton (1947-1948). He led his own trio, worked in studios, and on radio in London during the 1950s. In 1961, Jones moved to New York where he played regularly at Condon's, Ryan's, and the Metropole with such players as Yank Lawson, Max Kaminsky, Roy Eldridge, Bob Wilber, Jimmy McPartland, and Gene Krupa, fitting right in with the Condon gang. Jones teamed up with Budd Johnson in the JPJ Quartet (1969-1974), recorded a solo tribute to Bix Beiderbecke for Chiaroscuro (1972), and worked with the Countsmen and the Harlem Blues & Jazz Band. ~ Scott Yanow