Clarence M. Jones (born 1889 – June 1, 1949) was an American pianist and composer who worked in jazz, ragtime, and other popular music genres.

Early life and education

Jones was born in Wilmington, Ohio. He studied at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and published his first tune, "Lightning Rag", in 1908. In the early 1910s, he moved to Chicago and set up his own publishing studio, writing compositions and creating piano rolls.

Career

He founded his own ensemble, the Select Orchestra, in 1917, which held a residency at Chicago's Owl Theater until 1922. He then moved the show to the Avenue Theater and changed the marquee name to the Wonderful Orchestra, then the Wonder Orchestra, playing at both the Avenue and the Moulin Rouge Cafe, but by 1924 had returned to playing at the Owl. In 1927, the group moved to the Metropolitan Theater and took the names Syncopators and Hot Papas; while resident there, his soloists included

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

and J. Wright Smith. In 1928, he moved once again, to the Grand Theater, where he remained until 1932. Jones recorded jazz between 1923 and 1928, including as a solo pianist for Autograph and backing Monette Moore and

Ollie Powers Ollie is a given name and a nickname, often as a shortened form of Oliver, Olive, Olympia, Olga or Olivia. Variants include Olie, Oli, Oly and Olly. People Given name * Ollie Marie Adams (1925–1998), American gospel and R&B singer * Ollie ...

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

. He recorded with his band for Okeh in 1926 and with Laura Smith in 1927 on

Victor The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

. He moved to New York in 1932, where he worked in the publishing house of Clarence Williams. In 1933, he assembled a vocal harmony group called the

Southernaires The Southernaires, organized in 1929, were an American popular vocal group, popular in radio broadcasting of the 1930s and 1940s. They were known for their renditions of spirituals and work songs. In 1942, they won a widely publicized case of hote ...

, which recorded in 1939 and 1941 and regularly sang on radio in the 1930s.

References

*"Clarence M. Jones". '' The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz''. 2nd edition, ed.

Barry Kernfeld Barry Dean Kernfeld (born August 11, 1950) is an American musicologist and jazz saxophonist who has researched and published extensively about the history of jazz and the biographies of its musicians. Education In 1968, Kernfeld enrolled at U ...

, 2004.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Clarence 1889 births 1949 deaths American jazz pianists American male pianists American jazz composers Jazz musicians from Ohio American male jazz composers 20th-century American male musicians