Sam Jones, a greatly in-demand bassist who often teamed up with drummer Louis Hayes, was also a talented jazz cello soloist. He always took advantage of the fairly rare opportunities he had to lead sessions to create memorable music.

Born in Jacksonville, FL (November 12, 1924), he played with Tiny Bradshaw (1953-1955), moved to New York in 1955 and worked with the groups of Kenny Dorham, Cannonball Adderley (1957), Dizzy Gillespie (1958-1959), and Thelonious Monk, among others. While a member of Cannonball Adderley's very successful quintet (1959-1965), Jones wrote such originals as "Unit 7" and "Del Sasser" and led three highly recommended albums for Riverside during 1960-1962 that featured some of his finest cello playing.

Sam Jones was with the Oscar Peterson Trio (as Ray Brown's first replacement) during 1966-1970 and then freelanced for the remainder of his life, making many recordings, including albums of his own for East Wind (1974), Xanadu, Muse, Inner City, SteepleChase, Interplay, and SeaBreeze.

Sam Jones died in New York City on December 15, 1981.

—Scott Yanow (All Music Guide)