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