Koko Jones

A native of Englewood, New Jersey, Koko grew up in a household immersed in jazz, soul, gospel and blues, from Charlie Parker and Lou Rawls to Nat King Cole and Mahalia Jackson, along with the pop and R&B legends of the times. Reportedly, Koko’s grandmother, Maggie Walker Jones, once played with (and maybe even recorded with) Bessie Smith. The arts of all types were nurtured in the Jones household and piano lessons were a requirement, not an elective.

Jones traces her percussion expertise to the age-old ‘academy of the streets.’ Over the years Koko has evolved an increasingly comprehensive approach to percussion, commanding respect from artists such as the Isley Brothers, Whitney Houston, Winard Harper, and Reggie Workman.

At age 10 began showing interest in playing hand drums. Neighborhood drummers were prone to testifying on front lawns and park benches, hand drums and various percussive enhancements in tow; their massaging, pulsating, skin-on-skins thoroughly hooked the impressionable youngster. Among these master drummers were Marvin “Bugalu” Smith (Sun-Ra, Archie Shepp, Mal Waldron), Earl “Buster Smith (Eric Dolphy,Sun-Ra), Karl Potter (The Isley Brothers, Pino Daniele) and Babatunde Lea (Pharoah Sanders, Leon Thomas), who all spent time with and made a long-lasting impression on the young Koko’s life.

Along with jazz, Jones also was magnetically attracted to Latin music, particularly the Latin Soul sounds that permeated the New York/New Jersey byways during the late 60s/early 70s; sounds by Nuyorican artists like Joe Cuba, Joe Bataan, and assorted Fania soul-seros, and especially the bands of Mongo Santamaria and Tito Puente. “I can remember watching Mongo on television when I was around 12 years old. I became a permanent fan.” Koko became immersed in Afro-Cuban flavors through the influence and teaching of fellow percussionists Babatunde Lea, Steve Kroon, and Richie “Pablo” Landrum, who taught the youngster at one of New York’s premier music academies, Jazzmobile. However, it was a trip into the city with Babatunde Lea and Thelma Mwandido, to a rehearsal of Tanawa Drum and Dance 1976, led by Congolese griot-musician Titos Sompa, which hooked Koko on African rhythms, song and dance. Koko has always continued to be an “eternal student of the drum” by constantly seeking to increase her percussion vocabulary with studying various genres of drumming and percussion. In addition to having recorded eight records during her thirteen years with the Isleys, Koko’s percussion prowess can be found on recordings by Charles McPherson, Archie Shepp, Omar and Angie Stone, Babatunde Lea, Winard Harper and Joey DeFrancesco as well as by House music icons Josh Milan and BLAZE (Kevin Hedge), Louie Vega and Kenny Dope to name just a few. Koko has also graced the bandstands of Archie Shepp, Benny Powell, T.K. Blue, Randy Weston, Hilton Ruiz, hip hop artist Q-Tip and many, many more. She is perhaps most proud of her work with Tenth World, the band she created with pianist Kelvin Sholar, Brian Horton, Jaimeo Brown, Kevin Louis and Damon Warmack. Tenth World’s music represented a clear turning point in the development of Koko’s vision and ability to bring talented players together. “The creation of Tenth World was a distinct snapshot of where I was at that time, and the musicians that I had the pleasure of collaborating with brought the most heavenly sounds together.” Koko has not ruled out a reunion of some configuration of this band to record once again in the future.

A passionate and skilled teacher, Koko is also deeply dedicated to passing on her ‘street academy’ music smarts to the next generation, through teaching residencies and in workshops at colleges and other youth organizations and currently teaches at The Bronx Arts Ensemble where she’s worked for 15 years with a population of underserved youth and MADLOM (Montclair Academy of Dance and Laboratory of Music) founded by Reggie Workman and Maya Milenovich.