Virgil Jones

Virgil Jones

(August 26, 1939 – April 20, 2012)

Virgil Jones grew up living in Lockefield Gardens, attending both School 24 and School 17 where he first met music teacher Russell Brown who also taught Jones at Crispus Attucks High School.  Brown was amazed at Jones’ perfect pitch on his trumpet but insisted he read music as well.  He was an honor roll student and at 15 received a science scholarship to Moorehouse College which he refused, deciding to continue his education and graduation with his class at Crispus Attucks. 

Jones frequented Jacque Durham’s Missile Room near Indiana Avenue where he often heard up-and-coming jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery. His first gig after high school was playing in the David Baker Big Band at the French Lick Jazz Festival in 1958.  Baker recommended Jones to Lionel Hampton and he joined this band, traveling the world. 

Jones became known in the early 1960s when he was in the bands of Milt Jackson, Roland Kirk, and Frank Foster. Around 1970, he worked in the soul-jazz movement with musicians such as Charles Earland, Harold Mabern, Don Patterson, Houston Person, Grover Washington Jr., Johnny Hammond Smith, and Sonny Stitt. In 1973 he was a member of the McCoy Tyner Big Bad and in 1975 Jones played in the Billy Harper Quintet.

In the late 1980s, he played again in the McCoy Tyner Band. Towards the end of the 1990s, he played with TS Monk and the Joe Henderson band among others. Jones also played for Broadway productions, television, and the cabaret music circuit.  He worked on the Broadway performance of the musical Black and Blue and Jelly's Last Jam and on the soundtrack to the films Ed's Next Move (1996) and She's Gotta Have It (1986 by Spike Lee). In the 1990s Jones performed with the Smithsonian Jazz Works Orchestra under the baton of David Baker.