Carmell Jones was a hard bop trumpeter who won the appreciation of jazz fans but
spent much of his career underexposed thanks to a move to Europe at the height
of his powers. Born in Kansas City, Jones began playing the piano at the age of
five and started playing the trumpet at seven. After serving in the military and
spending two years at the University of Kansas he got his first professional
work as a trumpeter in his hometown alongside Nathan Davis, Cleanhead Vinson and
Frank Smith. Jones moved to LA in 1960 and worked as a studio musician for a few
years, appearing on the so...