Jazz Articles about Sam Jones

Sam Jones: Something In Common

by David Adler
March 1, 2001

Bassist Sam Jones, one of the unsung rhythm section heroes in jazz, leads a stellar ensemble on this 1978 Muse session, now reissued by 32 Jazz. The music is burning, the sound is vibrant and huge. But this kind of record was destined to fall through the cracks. Recorded at the height of the fusion era, with the Marsalis-led neotraditionalist resurgence still years away, the album was decidedly not of its time. With its roster of hard bop heavyweights — ...

Sam Jones: Something In Common

by David A. Orthmann
January 1, 2001

The reissue of these two sessions from the mid-seventies affirms the vitality of hard bop more than a decade after its heyday. Something In Common features some of the genre’s principal practitioners, most of whom played in definitive ensembles led by Horace Silver, Art Blakey, or Cannonball Adderley. The material is generated largely from within the band, including three choice items from the songbook of pianist Cedar Walton. Particularly noteworthy is his latin-tinged, minor classic “Bolivia.”

With the exception of ...

Sam Jones: Sam Jones: Something In Common

by AAJ Staff
January 1, 2001

The seemingly inexhaustible Muse catalog, now in the possession of 32 Jazz, has yielded yet two more noteworthy albums, compiled as Sam Jones: Something In Common. The first one, Something In Common from a 1977 studio date, is by far the more interesting one, as it reunites Jones with his long-time friends Cedar Walton and Billy Higgins. In addition Slide Hampton, Blue Mitchell and a young Bob Berg join in, elevating each other’s compositions through effective arrangements and penetrating solos.