Take Five with Saxophonist Bernell Jones II

Meet Bernell Jones

Originally from Memphis, TN, Bernell Jones II is an NYC-based genre-fluid saxophonist and songwriter. His music showcases a variety of influences from his upbringing such as gospel, jazz, blues, r&b, etc. As a performing artist, he has worked alongside artists such as Ms. Lauryn Hill, Olivia Dean, Wyclef Jean, Philip Harper, Eric Bellinger, and more. As an artist, Bernell has three albums under his belt, including his acclaimed 2024 debut album Typewriter. In his music and his shows, he blends the sounds of the past and the present to form a unique sonic experience never heard before by jazz fans.

Instruments:

Saxophone mainly but I also play auxiliary keys in my band, synth and now I'm learning organ.

Teachers and/or influences?

Greg Tardy, a renowned saxophonist, was my largest influence. I had the pleasure of spending three years under his wing during college, and he taught the way I learn music: strictly by ear. He passed on knowledge from all of his experiences playing with Elvin Jones, Tom Harrell and other legends. He believed in me when no one else did, because I got rejected to almost every music program I auditioned for in college. When I auditioned for him, he said "The talent was there" and gave me a chance.

I knew I wanted to be a musician when...

I saw my band director from high school do it. Unlike a lot of band directors around the country, my high school band director was a full-time musical theater-playing, touring saxophonist and woodwind musician. The stories he told and seeing him rush off to gigs after the bell rang really gave me a first hand look into what a music career could look like. I love asking questions, so when I would ask about his experiences he was an open book. My band director really made being a musician look like a dream career for me.

Your sound and approach to music.

My approach to music is rather interesting. I feel that most jazz musicians my age tend to write music that shows off their playing ability to the fullest, rather that be writing a fast tune with a lot of complex changes or writing something that really highlights their instrument. When it comes to writing music, I write what I hear and my head, and I don't question it. If the song I'm writing doesn't sound like it needs saxophone, I just won't put my sax on it. My song "Baby Mama" from my 2024 Typewriter album is a testament to that, because I omitted the sax and chose to play a synth lead instead. Furthermore, being someone who grew up in a household that would often play old school r&b and soul, when I sit in front of the piano to compose, I channel that! That explains why almost all my songs have a groove to them rather than swing. While I love swing music, I believe my identity is most inline with music I heard at family cookouts during my Memphis childhood and the sounds of the COGIC church.

Your teaching approach

I don't currently teach music and I don't plan to for the time being. However, the few times I've given lessons, I've stressed two big things: scales and learning by ear. You need to be able to play every single scale on your instrument, and if you can learn songs and techniques by ear, you're setting yourself up for success!

Your dream band

My dream band would honestly be to play with PinkPantheress. I'm constantly hearing her music and am thinking "she needs saxophone in some of these songs." While her music is mostly digital, I believe a lot of live instruments with some effects could spice it up.

Road story:

My best experience traveling has definitely been playing multiple nights at the Blue Note Tokyo with Julius Rodriguez. I've played in his band on and off now for almost 3 years, and it's a great creative experience every time! What made Tokyo special, however, is how engaged the audience was to the music. There were no phones in sight, and everybody came up after the show asking for autographs and pictures. I'm not even famous yet! I currently don't have a "worst road experience," especially considering most of my bad music experiences have been in the wedding gig setting. Whether it was that one time I had to go off on a drunk wedding guest for trying to grab my hair while I was performing, or that time I got banned from a wedding venue for not taking disrespect from one of their rude employees.

Favorite venue

My favorite venue to play is basically any Blue Note location. They always treat us with respect, they give us great food, and plenty of time to lounge and have a good time with our bandmates. The sound is always great and their engineers are high quality!

Your favorite recording in your discography and why?

My favorite recording that I've released so far is a song entitled "Love Sings." That project came together so perfectly because it really sounds like an organic radio hit. My songwriting skills and poetic side were on display when I wrote those lyrics for Barry Antoine to sing. Nory's lyrical rap verse brought the whole thing together along with the groove and bass line done by my wonderful rhythm section.

What do you think is the most important thing you are contributing musically?

In a world of algorithmic music, I believe I'm offering something real to the art form. Right now, we live in a time when music is written with the intention of being used for TikTok dances, viral moments, or Netflix outros. I'm genuinely creating music with my band with live instruments purely for the love of the art. I am trying my best to bring the real back to the music!

Did you know...

I am a competing powerlifter. I have two competitions under my belt, including the 2025 New York State competition, and I use it sort of as an outlet to get away from the music world. Since my whole life involves music, it's nice to have a different hobby to balance it out. I'm most proud of my deadlift which is currently sitting at 540lbs.

The first jazz album I bought was:

Skydive by Freddie Hubbard. When it comes to buying physical albums, I was kind of late to the game. When I was 19 and had a little bit of money, I went on Discogs and bought my favorite jazz album of all time, Skydive.

Music you are listening to now:

PinkPantheress: Fancy That (Warner Records UK, 2025) Anderson .Paak, NxWorries & Knxwledge: Why Lawd (Stones Throw Records, 2024) Theo Croker: Dream Manifest (Dom Recs/Star People Nation, 2025) Braxton Cook: Not Everyone Can Go (Nettwerk Music Group, 2025)

How would you describe the state of jazz today?

We are definitely in an interesting situation where two opposing things are happening at the same time. I believe jazz gets better every generation, and we are currently seeing some hard-hitting young people dominating the field. People like New Jazz Underground or Tyreek McDole are great examples of this. I mean, they sound phenomenal! On the other hand, while social media can be a good thing as far as getting people in front of an audience, I believe there are some downsides as well. Mentorship is the number one thing in the music that has kept jazz alive and pushing forward. Many artists played in Art Blakey's or Miles Davis' band, and have then went off to lead fruitful careers, passing down the mentorship tradition to the next young star. Instagram has sort of removed the need to be under an experienced mentor who could really teach you what and what not to do as a jazz musician. Because of this, we often find a lot of musicians going viral from having purely technical ability with little heart to their playing, and while a mentor would have led them away from that behavior, the Instagram algorithm rewards it. It could be argued that a jazz career taking off with the help of Instagram removes the gatekeepers, but I do believe some gatekeeping is necessary. The best jazz artists are the ones who have the torch passed onto them from the previous great!

What are some of the essential requirements to keep jazz alive and growing?

Mentorship is the number one thing. We need more than ever for the older experienced greats to hire young talent in their band. Passing the torch is essential to keeping the music alive.

What is in the near future?

My fans have been begging me to go to their city, so that is exactly what I plan to do. I'm bringing my music to more cities, and on top of that, an album has been in the works since early 2025. I can't wait for everyone who hear what I have in store.

What is your greatest fear when you perform?

My greatest fear when performing is having an audience that isn't engaged. The last year, my band has played so many shows and I am proud to say we've received nothing but love and high engagement every time. I do not want to become some venue's background music.

By Day:

I don't have a day job. It's music all the way for me! During the day time I spend hours going to the gym, writing music, editing videos, and practicing.

If I weren't a jazz musician, I would be a:

I'm not a jazz musician. I am a musician and an artist. I pride myself on being diverse in the different types of music I play. I've been fortunate enough to be hired in all different types of settings and can do anything at a high level from smooth jazz, to funk, to pop. However, if I wasn't a musician, I'd definitely be a mixologist. I used to bartend and believe it or not, that was my dream job before music.