Joseph George Dodge (February 9, 1922 – August 18, 2004) was an American

jazz musician This is a list of jazz musicians by instrument based on existing articles on Wikipedia. Do not enter names that lack articles. Do not enter names that lack sources. Accordion * Kamil Běhounek (1916–1983) * Luciano Biondini (born 1971) * Asm ...

.Joe Dodge: The Drummer as Time-Keeper
''Jazz Profiles''. Retrieved on July 2, 2016. A subtle and creative

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western music ensemble, bands that play Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, or Contemporary R&B, R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeepi ...

, Dodge will probably always be better known for his role primarily as a timekeeper and

accompanist Accompaniment is the part (music), musical part which provides the rhythmic and/or harmony (music), harmonic support for the melody or main themes of a song or instrumental piece. There are many different styles and types of accompaniment in di ...

who set a standard for blending propulsive swing, creating an adaptability that allowed him to remain in the background and not interfere with the soloist's line, which even extended to a reluctance to take

drum solo A drum solo is an Solo (music), instrumental solo played on a drum kit. A drum solo may be set or improvised, and of any length, up to being the main performance. In Rock music, rock, drum solos are unique in that traditionally they are minimally ...

s. Joe Dodge Biography and History
''AllMusic''. Retrieved on July 2, 2016. Born in

Monroe, Wisconsin Monroe is a city in Green County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 10,661 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered by the town of Monroe to the north and the town of Clarno to the south. It is nicknamed the "C ...

, Dodge was raised and grew up in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, California. Dodge initially studied to be a symphonic percussionist, but like many young drummers of his generation, he was primarily influenced by

Gene Krupa Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973) was an American jazz drummer, bandleader, and composer. Krupa is widely regarded as one of the most influential drummers in the history of popular music. His drum solo on Benny Goodman ...

and later listened

Jo Jones Jonathan David Samuel Jones (October 7, 1911 – September 3, 1985) was an American jazz drummer. A band leader and pioneer in jazz percussion, Jones anchored the Count Basie Orchestra rhythm section from 1934 to 1948. He was sometimes k ...

, Jimmy Crawford and

Shelly Manne Sheldon "Shelly" Manne (June 11, 1920 – September 26, 1984) was an American jazz drummer. Most frequently associated with West Coast jazz, he was known for his versatility and also played in a number of other styles, including Dixieland, ...

, different sources of inspiration that helped him to create his own creative style. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Dodge fulfilled his military duties from 1942 until 1945. While serving, he played drums in the Coast Artillery band, where he met tenor saxophonist Dave van Kriedt, who introduced him to

Dave Brubeck David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

and

Paul Desmond Paul Desmond (born Paul Emil Breitenfeld; November 25, 1924 – May 30, 1977) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and composer and proponent of cool jazz. He was a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet and composed the group's biggest hit, " ...

. After demobilization in 1946, Dodge worked in several dixieland groups and

dance bands (; "dance band"), or in Norwegian and Danish, is a Swedish term for a band that plays (; "dance band music"). ' is often danced to in pairs. Jitterbug and foxtrot music are often included in this category. The music is primarily inspired ...

around the

Bay area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. The Association of Bay Area Governments ...

. In 1950, Dodge became tired of road touring and economic instability and was able to get a job working in a bank. Nonetheless, he still kept in touch with Desmond, who arranged for him to play an engagement in an octet led by Brubeck as a temporary replacement for drummer

Cal Tjader Callen Radcliffe Tjader Jr. ( ; July 16, 1925 – May 5, 1982) was an American Latin Jazz musician, often described as the most successful non-Latino Latin music (genre), Latin musician. He explored other jazz idioms, especially small group mod ...

. By then, the Brubeck octet was playing at the

San Francisco Opera House The War Memorial Opera House is an opera house in San Francisco, California, United States, located on the western side of Van Ness Avenue across from the west side/rear facade of the San Francisco City Hall. It is part of the San Francisco Wa ...

, where they opened the show for

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

and

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roo ...

.Dave Brubeck, The Biography. Part 2: 1920–1948
''Dave Brubeck Jazz''. Retrieved on July 7, 2016. A few years later, Desmond again recommended Dodge to Brubeck. As a result, he became the regular drummer of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, participating with the group in different

music venue A music venue is any location used for a concert or musical performance. Music venues range in size and location, from a small coffeehouse for folk music shows, an outdoor bandshell or bandstand or a concert hall to an indoor sports stadium. Ty ...

s in the United States while recording five successful albums between 1953 and 1956. During the same period, Dodge was featured in two albums with different formats directed by Desmond. Late in 1956, Dodge was worn down by the travel and intense schedule with the quartet and wanted to spend more time with his family. He then told Brubeck it was time to look for another drummer and took a day job in

. Meanwhile, in the Quartet's New York stays, Desmond had heard the

Marian McPartland Margaret Marian McPartland Order of the British Empire, OBE ( Turner;Hasson, Claire, . PhD Thesis. Retrieved 12 August 2008. 20 March 1918 – 20 August 2013), was an English and American jazz pianist, composer, and writer. She was the host of ...

trio at the Hickory House and was impressed with Joe Morello, the drummer who had been working with her since 1953. Desmond then suggested to Brubeck that he should hire Morello and, when Brubeck heard Morello playing, he asked him if he would be interested in joining his group. The drummer did not jump at the opportunity. In 1957, Dodge had a chance to return to the jazz spotlight when

bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a dance band, rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhyth ...

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though ...

offered him a job as a temporary replacement for

Mel Lewis Melvin Sokoloff (May 10, 1929 – February 2, 1990), known professionally as Mel Lewis, was an American jazz drummer, session musician, professor, and author. He received fourteen Grammy Award nominations. Biography Early years Lewis was ...

, but Dodge decided to turn the offer down. From 1958 until he retired in 1981, he combined his activities working in the liquor business with musical engagements in the evenings. Dodge kept in contact with Desmond until the saxophonist's death in 1977 and never lost touch with Brubeck. At one point, Dodge played at Brubeck's fiftieth wedding anniversary in 1992 at the Claremont Hotel in

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

, where he shared time with many of the pianist's former colleagues. Joe Dodge died in 2004 in Lake Elsinore, California, at the age of 82.

Discography

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dodge, Joe 1922 births 2004 deaths American jazz drummers Drummers from Wisconsin Military personnel from Wisconsin People from Monroe, Wisconsin 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Jazz musicians from San Francisco 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Dave Brubeck Quartet members American military personnel of World War II Drummers from San Francisco