Bobby Jones, George Mraz, & Freddie Waits "Hill Country Suite"

A Full Album Friday this week for the first time in a good while.  These are selections (in order) from a record called "Hill Country Suite" recorded by a trio of jazz musicians including saxophonist and clarinetist, Bobby Jones, bassist George Mraz, and drummer, Freddie Waits.  The record is called "Hill Country Suite".

1. Bringin' in The Sheep



2. Old Jack Daniels  



3. "Hallelujah! Y'uns All Come to the Weddin' Dance"


4. Only Blue



5. Lady Love



6. The Gospel Truth


The album features Bobby Jones on tenor saxophone, and clarinet, George Mraz on double bass, and Freddie Waits on drums.  

Bobby Jones (October 30, 1928, Louisville, Kentucky - March 6, 1980, Munich) was an American jazz saxophonist.

Jones played drums as a child and started on clarinet at age 8; his father encouraged him to explore jazz. He studied with Simeon Bellison, Joe Allard, Charlie Parker, and George Russell. He played with Ray McKinley from 1949 into the mid-1950s, and then with Hal McIntyre before rejoining McKinley later in the decade.

During a stint in the Army he met Nat and Cannonball Adderley as well as Junior Mance; after his discharge he played country music and rock & roll as a studio musician, and did time with Boots Randolph and Glenn Miller (1950) before returning again with McKinley from 1959 to 1963. He played briefly with Woody Herman and Jack Teagarden in 1963, and after Teagarden's death he retired to Lousiville and started a local jazz council there in addition to teaching at Kentucky State College. In 1969 he moved to New York City and played with Charles Mingus from 1970 to 1972, touring Europe and Japan with him. He also recorded sessions under his own name in 1972 and 1974.

Late in his life he moved to Germany, where he ceased performing due to emphysema. He died there in 1980.

Albums as a leader:

The Arrival of Bobby Jones (Cobblestone, 1972) - with Charles McPherson, Jaki Byard, Richard Davis, Mickey Roker, Sue Evans, Bob Dorough

The Legacy of Bobby Jones (Muse, 1972) - re-release of Arrival, minus two tracks

Hill Country Suite (Enja, 1974) - with George Mraz, Freddie Waits

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