PHILLY JOE JONES' DAMERONIA

Philly Joe Jones first recorded with Dameron in 1953 and developed a love for Dameron's writing and swinging sensitivity. But when Jones decided to form a Dameron tribute band in the early 1980s with trumpeter Don Sickler, the duo faced three problems: money, arrangements and publicity. The money issue was solved with a grant that Jones' wife applied for and received. There were no Dameron charts in existence, so Sickler had to transcribe Dameron's recordings. Once the music parts were done and everyone was hired, a gig was set for April 1982 at Lush Life, a New York club that's now just a memory. But there was a legitimate fear that no one would turn up to hear Jones and the music of a composer that young listeners knew even less about. Hard to believe but back in the early 1980s, bop giants roamed New York virtually ignored by fusion read more...