hide captionHelen Jones Woods.Helen Jones Woods, who played trombone with the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, athat toured widely during World War II, died of COVID-19 on July 25 in Sarasota, Fla. She was 96.
In addition to their pioneering role as women on the jazz circuit, the International Sweethearts of Rhythm were an interracial band in the era of Jim Crow. Their extensive itinerary through the South, where they traveled by sleeper bus, reportedly inspired jazz piano giant Earl Hines to call them"the first Freedom Riders." They also toured Europe, playing in occupied Germany for American soldiers — both white and Black, though not at the same time.
Helen Elizabeth Jones was born in the fall of 1923 — on Oct. 9 or Nov. 14, according to conflicting documents — in Meridian, Miss. She was adopted by Dr. Laurence Clifton Jones, founder of the Piney Woods Country Life School, an African American boarding school. Dr. Jones and his wife, Grace, encouraged her interest in music from an early age. But despite their preference for the violin, she gravitated to the trombone, drawn to its slide.
The Swinging Rays of Rhythm proved a popular act, with its proceeds supporting the school until splintering off to become the Sweethearts. Woods would later recall this split ruefully: In a 1995 interview with Sherri Tucker, author of, she recalls that a pair of bookers from Washington, D.C., persuaded the band's manager"that we should leave the school and let them manage us and then we would get a good income and things like that. Which they cheated us out of, you know.
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MJ_PR Sad news. The contributions of trailblazers like Woods are an important part of the history of Jazz music.
RIP Helen Jones Woods. 💖
Great Number! The human life should be 143 years. Why? The Earth rotation is 7 times slower comparing to the TIme of first humans. They used to live 1000 years. If you divide 1000 : 7 =143. The Government do not want you to live that long. They make you work 2 jobs
I was just having a conversation with my neighbor, a bebop musician, about the old guard. I'm excited to talk with him about her.
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My grandmother, Velma Howell Rooke was in a history-making all-female band, Hour of Charm, as a trombone player. Born in 1906, she passed in 2006 at the age of 100.
I HATE Covid-19 🖕🏿
Such an interesting life. Thanks for sharing her story.
instead of just having a year end obituary list the media should also have a year end list of all the living greats over 90yrs old so we can remember them while we still got em ..
Respect 🙇♀️🙏
😢 RIP
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That's sad.
China virus or old age?
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This is so sad I enjoy music I gotta do some research
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