Known as Papa Jo Jones in his later years, he was sometimes confused with another influential jazz drummer, Philly Joe Jones. The two died only a few days apart.
Born Jonathan David Samuel Jones in Chicago, Illinois, he moved to Alabama where he learned to play several instruments, including saxophone, piano, and drums. He worked as a drummer and tap-dancer at carnival shows until joining Walter Page's band, the Blue Devils in Oklahoma City in the late 1920s. He recorded with trumpeter Lloyd Hunter's Serenaders in 1931, and later joined pianist Count Basie's band in 1934. Jones, Basie, guitarist Freddie Green and bassist Walter Page were sometimes billed as an 'all-American Rhythm section'. Jones took a brief break for two years when he was in the military, but he remained with Basie until 1948. He participated in the Jazz at the Philharmonic concert series.
He was one of the first drummers to promote the use of brushes on drums and shifting the role of timekeeping from the bass drum to the hi-hat cymbal. Jones had a major influence on later drummers such as Buddy Rich, Kenny Clarke, Roy Haynes, Max Roach, and Louie Bellson. He also starred in several films, most notably the musical short Jammin' the Blues (1944).
Jones performed regularly in later years at the West End jazz club at 116th and Broadway in New York City. These performances were generally very well attended by other drummers such as Max Roach and Roy Haynes. In addition to his artistry on the drums, Jones was known for his irascible, combative temperament.
In contrast to drummer Gene Krupa's loud, insistent pounding of the bass drum on each beat, Jones often omitted bass drum playing altogether. Jones also continued a ride rhythm on hi-hat while it was continuously opening and closing instead of the common practice of striking it while it was closed. Jones's style influenced the modern jazz drummer's tendency to play timekeeping rhythms on a suspended cymbal that is now known as the ride cymbal.
In 1979, Jones was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame for his contribution to the Birmingham, Alabama musical heritage. Jones was the 1985 recipient of an American Jazz Masters fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Discography
As leader
1955: The Jo Jones Special
1957: At Newport Live
1959: Jo Jones Plus Two
1973: The Drums
1976: The Main Man
1985: Our Man, Papa Jo!
As sideman a.o.
With Coleman Hawkins
The Hawk Flies High (1957)
With Oscar Peterson
The Oscar Peterson Trio with Sonny Stitt, Roy Eldridge and Jo Jones at Newport (1957)
With Ella Fitzgerald
Ella at the Opera House (1958)
With Ben Webster
Ben Webster and Associates (Verve, 1959)
“One thing for sure. Anyone who plays drums or supposedly appreciates drumming should experience Jo Jones.” – Buddy Rich
Greensleeves
Jo Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To cast me off discourteously.
For I have loved you well and long,
Delighting in your company.
[Chorus]
Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
And who but my lady greensleeves.
Your vows you've broken, like my heart,
Oh, why did you so enrapture me?
Now I remain in a world apart
But my heart remains in captivity.
[Chorus]
I have been ready at your hand,
To grant whatever you would crave,
I have both wagered life and land,
Your love and good-will for to have.
[Chorus]
If you intend thus to disdain,
It does the more enrapture me,
And even so, I still remain
A lover in captivity.
[Chorus]
My men were clothed all in green,
And they did ever wait on thee;
All this was gallant to be seen,
And yet thou wouldst not love me.
[Chorus]
Thou couldst desire no earthly thing,
but still thou hadst it readily.
Thy music still to play and sing;
And yet thou wouldst not love me.
[Chorus]
Well, I will pray to God on high,
that thou my constancy mayst see,
And that yet once before I die,
Thou wilt vouchsafe to love me.
[Chorus]
Ah, Greensleeves, now farewell, adieu,
To God I pray to prosper thee,
For I am still thy lover true,
Come once again and love me.
[Chorus]
The song Greensleeves by Jo Jones is a ballad about unrequited love. The singer speaks directly to his lady love, lamenting her decision to cast him off despite his loyal and devoted affection. The use of colors is significant throughout the song, with the man's men dressed in green and his lady known as Greensleeves. The chorus repeats the importance of Greensleeves in the singer's life, with her being his joy, delight, and heart of gold. Despite the woman rejecting him, the singer remains devoted and faithful, even finding her rejection to be enrapturing. He prays for her love before bidding her farewell, still longing for her to return and love him once again.
Line by Line Meaning
Alas, my love, you do me wrong,
Unfortunately, my love, you have treated me unfairly
To cast me off discourteously.
You rejected me rudely.
For I have loved you well and long,
I have loved you deeply and for a long time.
Delighting in your company.
I enjoyed being with you.
[Chorus]
Greensleeves was all my joy
The song Greensleeves was everything that brought me happiness.
Greensleeves was my delight,
I took pleasure in Greensleeves.
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
Greensleeves was my most valuable possession.
And who but my lady greensleeves.
Only you, my lady Greensleeves, could have replaced it.
Your vows you've broken, like my heart,
You broke your promises to me, which broke my heart.
Oh, why did you so enrapture me?
Why did you capture my heart so completely?
Now I remain in a world apart
I am now separated from the world.
But my heart remains in captivity.
My heart is still trapped by my love for you.
[Chorus]
I have been ready at your hand,
I have always been available to fulfill your wishes.
To grant whatever you would crave,
I was willing to give you whatever you desired.
I have both wagered life and land,
I risked everything, even my life and property.
Your love and good-will for to have.
In order to be loved by you and gain your approval.
[Chorus]
If you intend thus to disdain,
If you intend to show contempt in this way,
It does the more enrapture me,
It only makes me more captivated by you.
And even so, I still remain
Despite this, I still love you.
A lover in captivity.
I am still a prisoner to my love for you.
[Chorus]
My men were clothed all in green,
My servants were dressed in green attire,
And they did ever wait on thee;
And they waited on you constantly;
All this was gallant to be seen,
It was all quite impressive to witness,
And yet thou wouldst not love me.
But even with all this, you still wouldn't love me.
[Chorus]
Thou couldst desire no earthly thing,
You could want for nothing else in this world,
but still thou hadst it readily.
As everything you desired was given to you easily.
Thy music still to play and sing;
You were still able to play and sing your music;
And yet thou wouldst not love me.
But still, you would not love me.
[Chorus]
Well, I will pray to God on high,
I will pray to God above,
that thou my constancy mayst see,
So that you may see my loyalty,
And that yet once before I die,
And so that one last time before I die,
Thou wilt vouchsafe to love me.
You will be willing to love me.
[Chorus]
Ah, Greensleeves, now farewell, adieu,
Farewell, Greensleeves, goodbye,
To God I pray to prosper thee,
I pray to God that he blesses you,
For I am still thy lover true,
Because I am still your devoted lover,
Come once again and love me.
Please, come back and love me once again.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Traditional
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind