NEWS

September 6th 2016

Rolling into fall, lots of great things have been happening! I recently recorded with the Seth Weaver Big Band at Peter Karl Studios for some super high quality videos he will be releasing. Along with that, I recorded with Nick Biello for his debut album Vagabond Soul. I Felt very fortunate to be part of this recording as it featured some extreme heavy hitters in the band: John Benitez, Clarence Penn, Phil Markowitz, and Andrew Renfroe. Nick sounded amazing and his compositions are incredible! 

Some updates and news for my new album. The bulk of the material for my second album was recorded this past July before heading back up to Maine to teach at Camp Encore Coda. I will be heading back into the studio to finish up the last day of recording at the end of this month. Can't wait to get this project out into the world! It's definitely my most ambitious project yet. Thinking about calling it the Paul Jones 16, but I don't know yet. It features my sextet, plus bassoon and cello, and then a woodwind octet plus piano group. I'm looking to have a release date sometime in the late winter or early spring of 2017. Check back for official release dates, shows, and singles.

I was interviewed by Christina Cataldo for her podcast The Unofficial List. It's a show about the inside life of actors, musicians, and artists coming up in NYC and trying to find their way. If you ever wonder what's going through my head while bartending or trying to get my career to the next step, check it out here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-unofficial-list/id1123406974?mt=2

Also, I've still been working on my home studio/video recording projects where I record, write, mix, master, and edit everything. I keep feeling like that with each video I am getting better and better! Check out my latest video called The Generator with Colin Stranahan, Leon Boykins, and Perry Smith. 

My sextet is playing at the Cornelia Street Cafe on September 14th at 9pm. The band features Alex LoRe, Matt Davis, Chris Ziemba, Johannes Felscher, and Allan Mednard. And on October 25th I'm playing trio with Gilad Hekselman and Henry Cole at the Bar Next Door at 8:30pm. 

Finally, until my next record comes out, you can pick up my first one and other singles here: https://paulthejones.bandcamp.com. Downbeat Magazine found it enjoyable and gave it the 4 Star treatment!



play Centre In The Woods - Live @ the Banff Centre   

SHOWS

About

Hailed as a “force to be reckoned with” (StepTempest), saxophonist and composer Paul Jones is creating his own brand of unique and stylized jazz and is an in demand sideman in the US and abroad. With a singing yet dark toned saxophone coloring Paul creates music that is based in the history of jazz and classical music while infusing elements from the modern pop aesthetic. Making music that is challenging and complex while remaining attainable as a simple song is the crux behind Paul’s musical world. “Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple” (Charles Mingus).

Short History, his recent debut album as a leader, received a four star rating from Downbeat Magazine; the recording was noted for showcasing his melodic yet gutsy playing while highlighting his individual harmonic stylings and varied literary and musical influences. “Jones and his ensemble shift moods with throttle-forward speed, revealing so many musical possibilities right off the bat that the listener gets the impression that anything can happen” (Downbeat).

Short History opens sparsely with tenor saxophone and piano improvising over the original ballad Women, inspired by the Charles Bukowski novel. As the band begins to fill in the space around the tonal theme this playing continues and does so in both covers (I Could Write a Book and Hey, It’s Me You’re Talking To) plus original tunes. They display why Mr. Jones is noted as having “creativity up to his eyeballs” (Midwest Review). Released through Blujazz Publications, Short History features the front line of Alex LoRe on alto saxophone, Matt Davis on guitar, Sullivan Fortner on piano, Johannes Felscher on bass, and Jimmy Macbride on drums.

In NYC, Paul has performed at the Rose Theater at Lincoln Center, St. Peter’s Church, The Kitano, Tea Lounge, Shapeshifter Lab, Café Vivaldi, Highline Ballroom, and Rockwood Music Hall. In the fall of 2014 he was a finalist in the Julius Keilwerth Saxophone Idol Competition where he performed alongside Ernie Watts at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago. Paul regularly collaborates and has recorded with Matt Davis’ band Aerial Photograph, Nicky Schrire Plus 4, Leon Boykins’ Interval Songs, Jonathan Parker’s The Interloper, Ryan Khun’s Circle, and Yuki Shibata’s Come and Go.

Internationally Paul has been featured at Ronnie Scott’s and the Library Club in London. With Aerial Photograph Paul performed at the Contemporary Music Institute in Zhuhai, China, at many of the prominent jazz venues in Seoul, South Korea such as Club Evans, and at the Jarasum Jazz Festival, the largest jazz festival in Asia. Through Amsterdam Conservatory’s Keep an Eye on Jazz program Paul was a featured performer at the famed Bimhuis.

Interested in many styles of music, Mr. Jones’ pop career has also been quite active. He recently recorded with Sebastian Kole for Motown Records, Ryan Leslie of Universal Records, and Eli “Paperboy” Reed for Capitol Records. As a member of Eli “Paperboy” Reed’s Trueloves, Paul performed at festivals and clubs across 35 states, Canada, and Europe, including Lollapalooza, South by South West, and the Beale Street Music Festival. Paul regularly collaborates and has recorded with the Uptown Partydown, Brett Ferguson, Tory Hanna, The Jack Moves, Adam Lasher, and St. Lucia.

As a teacher Paul imparts his passion for learning to his students by using music as a tool to help them grow as individuals and achieve in whatever field they choose. Paul has taught privately at CenterStage, Harrison School of Music, Needham Music, PS-290, and the Rye Arts Center. During the summer he has taught courses in music theory, improvisation, music history, and lead ensembles at camp Encore Coda in Sweden, Maine. Internationally, Paul has given masterclasses at the Contemporary Music Institute in Zhuhai, China and the Gimcheon School of the Arts in Korea.

Today, Paul makes his home in New York City where he has reoccurring performances at the Bar Next Door and the Cornelia Street Café. Active members of Paul’s bands include Henry Cole, Phil Markowitz, Fransico Mela, Sam Miniae, Yasushi Nakamura, Clarence Penn, Marcelo Pellitieri, Peter Slavov, Colin Stranahan, and Glenn Zaleski. Paul holds degrees from Berklee College of Music and Manhattan School of Music (MSM). Some of Paul's teachers have included Charlie Banacos, Hal Crook, Gary Dial, George Garzone, Tony Malaby, Phil Markowitz, Donny McCaslin, and Steve Wilson. While at MSM Paul had the opportunity to perform alongside Randy Brecker, Dave Liebman, and Joe Lovano.

Upcoming plans include releasing a suite for jazz quartet based on Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major and Gaspard de la nuit, plus a studio album of original songs based on continuing Paul’s process of turning words into melodies, and a live album recorded at the Bar Next Door. 

PROJECTS

Paul Jones Debut Album - Short History

Purchase the album here: https://paulthejones.bandcamp.com/album/short-history

Short History, my debut album was released in early 2015 on Blujazz Records. It was recorded at Tedesco Studios in Paramus, New Jersey. Alex Sterling did the mixing and mastering and Johannes Felscher did the album art. 

Most of the music for this project came from a compositional tool I developed in order to create random melodic pitch material. When I would sit down to compose music, I often found the most difficult aspect of it was finding a place to start. Generally I'd play the same things over and over again or regurgitate ideas I had been practicing or listening to on a daily basis. For me, the end goal as an artist is coming up with something people haven't heard before or putting a new spin on things they had heard. I felt generating randomness would immediately put me in a different compositional starting place and then lead to a more original song. I then based much of the input information on titles from some of my favorite books. I was really pleased with the end result of this recording and I learned so much about myself as an artist, musician, and person.

Featured on the album: Alex LoRe on alto saxophone, Matt Davis on guitar, Sullivan Fortner on piano, Johannes Felscher on bass, and Jimmy Macbride on drums. 

Praise for Short History:

"Jones and his ensemble shift moods with throttle-forward speed, revealing so many musical possibilities right off the bat that the listener gets the impression that anything can happen." (4 Stars and one of the best albums of 2015 by Downbeat Magazine)

"A force to be reckoned with." (StepTempest)

"Short History manages to do what all strong debut releases should: it captures the musicality, passion, and promise of a talented artist at the dawn of his career." (3.5 Stars All About Jazz)


previous next
play On The Road   play The Inner Game   

Paul Jones 2nd Album - 16

Due out in early 2017.

I'm not sure exactly what the title of this project is yet, but I've started the recording process for my second album! This project is definitely my most ambitious project yet as it features three distinct instrumentations and 16 different musicians. I started writing a few non specific tunes in the fall of 2015; not entirely sure where the music would take me. Then, will attending the winter musicians in residence program at the Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada in January 2016 I found my focus and direction. It was while taking a lesson with Martin Bresnick I realized I needed to put all of my influences into one project. This project would be my next record. 

Starting with my sextet as the centerpiece, I took my compositional process of coding words into music to the next iteration. Now my music generating device not only created melodies, but harmonies. Along with that, in the past year I became increasingly interested in classical minimalist composers like Philip Glass and Steve Reich while also rekindling my love of hip hop through Kendrick Lamar's album To Pimp A Butterfly. With these influences I decided to create an album that told more of a story than an album where songs only served to highlight improvisation. I wrote short minimalist pieces/vignettes for woodwind octet and piano to act as interludes between larger compositions for my sextet. Also, in keeping in line with a more pop aesthetic I wrote shorter pieces for a jazz instrumentation where cello and bassoon augment the bass function. 

I can't wait to get this project finished and out into the world! Check back for release dates, recording news, and live performances.

Nicky Schrire Plus 4

I was fortunate to record with New York based South African singer Nicky Schrire this past fall for her upcoming debut album Freedom Flight.  The group performs Nicky's original arrangements in NYC at venues such as Cafe Vivaldi and the Cornelia Street Cafe.  She also performs regularly in her home country of South Africa. [Lauch Website]

The group features:

Nicky Schrire - Vocals, Leader
Nick Paul - Piano
Jake Goldbas - Drums
Sam Anning - Bass
Jay Rattman - Clarinet
Paul Jones - Tenor Saxophone
Occasional Members - Glenn Zaleski - Piano, Taylor Eigsti - Piano.
play Don't Think Twice, It's Alright    play Ode to a Folk Song   

The Uptown Partydown

This New York based funk band is the product of Jake Robinson and Alex Hayes' years of loving funk music in the Berkshire mountains of Massachusetts, where the two are originally from. The group started in the spring of 2010 and has been hitting audiences hard ever since. The group has performed at such venues as Stage 2 Rockwood Music Hall, Sullivan Hall, Cameo, and the Highline Ball Room. Check out the band's EP, Live Album, and single here: UPD Bandcamp.

The group features:

Jake Robinson - Drums, composition, leader
Alex Hayes - Electric Bass, leader
Christine Tambakis - Vocals
Kerong Chok - Keyboards and Synth
Nick Biello - Keyboards and Synth
Tim Basom - Guitar
Andrew Gould - Alto Saxophone
Jimmy O'Connell - Trombone
Paul Jones - Tenor Saxophone
play Ride Uptown   

Eli "Paperboy" Reed and the TrueLoves

Eli "Paperboy" Reed and the Trueloves is a Boston/NYC based Soul group that I was a part of from 2007 to 2008.  With the Trueloves we covered the United States, Europe, and Canada.  The band later went onto Japan, Australia, and many other countries throughout the world.  It was a really great experience for me to get to see so much of the world through music.  The band is still performing widely today and is signed to Capitol Records.  [Launch Website]

The band featured:

Eli Reed - Vocals, guitar, composition, leader
Ryan Spraker - Guitar, composition
Mike Montgomery - Bass
Andy Bauer - Drums
Patriq Moody - Trumpet
Ben Jaffe - Tenor Saxophone
Paul Jones - Tenor Saxophone
Joe Tooley - Road Manager

previous next
play Bad Girl   play So Tired of Wandering (Live)   play I'm Gonna Break Every Heart I Can   play Ace of Spades   play Stake Your Claim (Live)   

CONTACT

Please contact me for booking, lessons or any other request. I am looking forward to your message!