J.C. Jones

J.C. Jones: Hosting Myself

by Karl A.D. Evangelista
March 7, 2007

Outline and mien peg J.C. Jones as the prototypal improvising bassist--long and lanky, slumped into his instrument with a sort of focal intensity, like a surgeon--or a butcher--teasing at thick guts. The cover photo of Hosting Myself has all the bearings of an ancient iconology, and there are surely mystical undertones to that title--as if Jones's music were an act of self-sacrifice, a sonic communion.

As a bassist in the solo idiom, Jones engages among the holiest of practices; the ...

J.C. Jones With Friends: Duos II

by Eyal Hareuveni
February 17, 2005

Israeli bassist Jean-Claude Jones--born in Tunisia, raised in France, and educated at Berklee in Boston--is one of the dedicated forerunners of the small community of free jazz players in Israel. In the last years his activity focused on intimate improvised encounters with local kindred souls--musicians, poets, vocal artists, and dancers, very often in duos, in the same manner as the late great bassist Peter Kowald did along the years ( Duos, FMP, 1991; Duos 2: Europe America Japan, FMP, 2003). ...

Quincy Jones in Paris, 1957-1960

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
November 8, 2024

It is impossible to fully appreciate the delight of the late Quincy Jones without doing a deep dive into his years in Paris. From 1957 to 1960, Jones studied composition and theory there with Nadia Boulanger and Olivier Messiaen, performed at the Paris Olympia, toured Europe and became music director at Barclay Records. The French label founded by Eddie Barclay not only released albums on its Barclay label but also had a licensing agreement with Mercury to release Barclay product ...
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Quincy Jones (1933-2024)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
November 7, 2024

Quincy Jones, whose name became synonymous with excellence in music and whose contributions to jazz opened a new age of swinging elegance influenced by French pop and modern classical, died on November 3. He was 91. Rather than write again about Jones's many accomplishments, I feel it's more illustrative to listen to his career in 14 clips. Please note that this merely scratches the surface: Here's Jones's composition Work of Art recorded by the Art Farmer Septet in July 1953, ...
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Bernell Jones II CD Release Event On August 2nd At Heaven Can Wait

Source: Scott Thompson Public Relations
July 31, 2024

Originally from Memphis, TN, Bernell Jones II is an NYC-based multi-instrumentalist experienced in multiple forms of Black American Music. At age ten, Bernell first picked up his primary instrument, the saxophone. Bernell dropped his new single “Don't Know Why" featuring vocalist Jazzmine James on May 28th. This new release entitled Typewriter is expressed in R&B, funk and fusion. “I am 26 years old at the time of the release of my first ambitious project, Typewriter. At this age, I have ...
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Perfection: Quincy Jones - Funk Junction

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
June 26, 2024

On December 7, 1954, Quincy Jones was conducting a band playing his arrangements backing vocalese artist King Pleasure. During the session for Prestige, two Jones instrumentals were slipped in—"You're Crying" and “Funk Junction." The additions were either needed to complete the album because there weren't enough King Pleasure tracks—or there was time remaining on the session and Jones figured he'd use the spare minutes to squeeze out B-sides for King Pleasure's A-sidees for jukeboxes. Or both assumptions may have be ...
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Backgrounder: Quincy Jones - Twilight Time

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
March 29, 2024

Early in March, I posted a Backgrounder on a 1957 album arranged by Quincy Jones in Paris. In the U.S., the LP was released by United Artists and was called Americans in Paris. In France, it came out on Barclay and was known as Et Voila! The album was recorded with Eddie Barclay, the owner of the Barclay label and its music director at the time who hired most of the French musicians in the band. He soon would offer ...
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Alfredo Dias Gomes Releases 'Tributo A Elvin Jones,' In Honor Of The Legendary Jazz Drummer

Source: Alfredo Dias Gomes
March 16, 2024

Accompanied by a respected team of musicians (Jessé Sadoc, trumpet and flugelhorn; David Feldman, piano; Jefferson Lescowich, acoustic bass), Rio de Janeiro drummer Alfredo Dias Gomes released Tributo a Elvin Jones. Recorded in his home studio with sound engineer Thiago Kropf, the album arrived on digital platforms (Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, Amazon and YouTube Music) on March 1st. “The fascination with Elvin Jones’ style is longstanding,” says Gomes. “The first time I saw him play was on a VHS video ...
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Backgrounder: Quincy Jones - Americans in Paris

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
March 9, 2024

In 1957, Quincy Jones moved to Paris to study composition and theory with Nadia Boulanger and Olivier Messiaen. In his spare time, the producer, composer, arranger, bandleader and conductor became music director at Barclay, a French record company owned by Eddie Barclay, a composer-arranger and contractor. Barclay also was the licensee for Mercury in France. Jones's first album for the label was Et Voila!, which was released on United Artists in the U.S. as Americans in Paris. In addition to ...
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Drummer Bob Holz Releases New Album 'Holz-Stathis: Collaborative' Featuring John McLaughlin, Jean-Luc Ponty, Darryl Jones And Randy Brecker

Source: Glass Onyon PR - Keith James
January 16, 2024

Jazz fusion drummer and composer Bob Holz released his sixth album Holz-Stathis: Collaborative. on MVD Audio. Joining Holz on the album are John McLaughlin, Jean-Luc Ponty, Darryl Jones, Randy Brecker, Elliott Yamin, Alex Acuna, Airto Moreira, Brandon Fields, Ralphe Armstrong, Billy Steinway, Dean Brown, Ric Fierabracci, Jamie Glaser, Ada Rovatti, {{Karen Briggs, Diana Purim, Ben Shepherd and Frank Stepanek. The album features twelve new original tunes penned by Holz, Steinway and Brown. Rob Stathis is the Executive Producer. The album ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Elvin Jones

Source: Michael Ricci
September 9, 2023

All About Jazz is celebrating Elvin Jones' birthday today!

Elvin Ray Jones was a jazz drummer. He was born in Pontiac, Michigan, the youngest child in a family of ten. His father worked for General Motors. Two of Jones' brothers were also jazz musicians: Hank (piano), and Thad (trumpet/flugelhorn). Elvin began playing professionally in the 1940s, working with the Army Special Services program, Operation Happiness, and in 1949 had a short-lived gig in Detroit's Grand River Street club. Eventually he ...
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Backgrounder: Jones/Lewis - Consummation

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
August 4, 2023

Recorded over four sessions in January 1970 and released later that year, the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra's Consummation was one of the finest big band albums of the decade. A hit album and Grammy nominee, the LP's eight tracks were composed and arranged by Thad Jones. At the Grammy's the album lost out to Miles Davis's Bitches Brew. The combined personnel over the four sessions included Thad Jones (fluhrn); Snooky Young, Danny Moore, Al Porcino and Marvin Stamm (tp); Eddie ...
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