Jazz fans can thank the U.S. Army for creating a percussionist out of George Jones.
Jones, a busy member of the area jazz scene, was a bass player when he was in Allegheny High School in the North Side. He says he was following the footsteps of his mother, Lillian Carter, who played that instrument with the all-female International Sweethearts of Rhythm.
But the bass “never caught” with him, he says, and when he was in the Army after high school, he and some fellows soldiers started playing on “great, big, huge pots that made a great sound.”
When he came back to Pittsburgh in 1966, he started studying percussion more as “part of the revolutionary days when we were all getting back to our roots.”
That effort led to work in all sorts of ensembles, from the small groups of Nathan Davis and Spider Rondinelli to the Balcony Big Band, which he still plays in his present iteration at Jergel's in Ross. He also is a member of the Latin/Afro-Cuban group Salsamba and his own band, the New View Trio.
He and his wife, Linda, live in Pennsbury Village.
The star who would play me in the movie version of my life:
Morgan Freeman. I admire his sincerity and strength.
Childhood hero:
My dad, George Jones Sr. I also admired his strength and solid, old-school values.
The superpower I wish I had in real life:
Reading minds. But do I really want to know?
I can't live without my iPod, cellphone, DVR or laptop?
Cellphone
My favorite reality show:
Never watch ‘em
Favorite guilty pleasure:
I love me some chocolate!
Something I would do over if I could:
I'd marry my wife, Linda, all over again, at least two more times. She's beautiful, smart, funny and an extremely good cook. Other than that, she's the best part of me; my gift from heaven.
Pick one:
A. Pirates
B. Penguins
C. Steelers
D. Other
E. I hate sports
Steelers, Steelers, Steelers
My favorite Pittsburgh athlete:
Troy Polamalu
Favorite lunchtime spot:
Tessaro's in Bloomfield or Winghart's in Market Square
The piece of memorabilia from my childhood I wish I still had:
My Lionel trains
Top thing on my “bucket list” to do before I'm gone:
Visit Brazil
In five years, I'd like to:
Have a jazz musician-photography exhibit in Downtown Pittsburgh.
My favorite thing about Pittsburgh:
The visual — Pittsburgh is a lovely city.
Star I'd like to dance with on “Dancing With the Stars”:
Gloria Estefan
Three people I'd love to have dinner with:
Thelonious Monk and garden expert Pamela Crawford. Can't think of the third.
My quirkiest inherited trait:
They say I walk like my dad, George Jones Sr.
Exercise I hate most:
Ab crunches
My favorite sandwich, plus fixings:
A giant fish sandwich with lettuce, tomato, tartar sauce and vinegar
One word my mother would use to describe me:
She'd call me wonderful! ;)
Celebrity crush:
Halle Berry
The oldest thing in my refrigerator:
Nothing stays in the refrigerator long enough to get old.
I'm deathly afraid of:
Rats
When I was 10, I wanted to be:
A singer in a rhythm-and-blues band
If I was auditioning for “American Idol,” my song would be:
“It's Just Another True Love Gone”
The most famous person I ever became friends with:
The great Roger Humphries
TV marathon I could watch all day:
“The Godfather” or “Band of Brothers”
Favorite Pittsburgh-area landmark:
The Fountain down at the Point
Saturday mornings, you'll find me:
Definitely in bed.
My childhood nickname:
Butch
In high school, I was:
Shy, a loner, mostly. But Ella Mae Head, a good friend who had my back, was my champion.
The movie that always makes me cry:
“It's a Wonderful Life” with Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed
My most treasured fashion accessory:
A dandy wool cap that I bought on a trip to Quebec City, Canada
What you'll always find in my glove compartment:
Car-repair receipts and glucose tablets for those low blood-sugar moments
The first band I saw in concert:
Jazz at the Philharmonic at the old Syria Mosque — Ray Brown, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Illinois Jacquet, J. J. Johnson, Ella Fitzgerald, Lester Young, Joe Jones, Herb Ellis, Oscar Peterson — and all on the same show!!!!!
The best concert I've ever seen:
See above: Jazz at the Philharmonic
If I wasn't a musician, I'd be:
A portrait photographer
My most embarrassing junk food:
Dill pickles and ice-cream sandwiches from the Dollar Tree — pure garbage delight
If I could tour with any two bands, they would be:
Pharoah Sanders' band and any good band from New Orleans.
My favorite website:
YouTube
The last book I read:
Flower-garden books
My most memorable fashion mistake:
From the '70s, red-and-black platform shoes, imagine that ... worn with a polyester cowboy-type suit (I cringe now just thinking about that!)
The person I'm most often mistaken for:
The gladiator trainer on “Spartacus,” Oenomaus (Peter Mensah)
If I could live my life as someone else, it would be:
Nick Flenoy. I used to work for him at the Manchester House Neighborhood Centers Association. I learned a lot from him.
Movie I could watch every time it appears on cable:
“Saving Private Ryan” (as my wife rolls her eyes)
My favorite Pittsburgh pizza:
Fox's Pizza
The song that always gets me out on the dance floor and:
Any salsa tune
I never travel without my:
Camera.
My first job:
I worked at a pawnshop on Federal Street on the North Side called Levi's Loan.
My worst job:
Levi's Loan — Federal Street
People would be surprised to know that I:
Am an avid flower gardener.
