Locally born and bred saxophonists Jessica Jones and Tony Jones met in the
Berkeley High School saxophone section, and went on to form an over 30 year
musical bond. They are the core of this group, an improvising jazz ensemble
which performs original experimental music. Their music derives from the jazz
tradition using structured original compositions as a framework for freer
improvisation. The compositions of Jessica and husband Tony Jones are given
life by the innovative and energetic rhythm section of bassist Stomu Takeishi,
and, for this performance, local luminary Deszon X. Claiborne, a musical
colleague of Jessica and Tony’s since their days in UC Berkeley’s Young
Musicians Program.
“... predictably unpredictable, grounded yet far-reaching, and irresistibly
intriguing in its unfolding. The tenors move along with a combination of
patience and attitude, enhancing the underlying feel with their cool-headed, hot-
blooded moves...a program that’s both unrestrained and structurally sound.” -
All About Jazz
“Both Joneses play tenor saxophone, and they shift fluidly between unison
statements and passages, one player shadowing the other so sympathetically that
one forgets it’s two musicians. This unity is one of the most attractive things
about this album, the fourth CD by their quartet, and it is enhanced by the
rhythm section’s empathy. The ensemble’s affinity enhances the moments
where the music pulls taut or picks up steam.” - Bill Meyer, DownBeat Magazine
“With the chops to be a hell raiser and get away with it admirably, this set
focuses on less is more without watering things down to scare off the core
purists. Improv in the hands of pros, this is a ride on an off ramp that’ll give
you great views.” - Chris Spector, Midwest
This performance is made possible with the support of Jazz Road, a national
initiative of South Arts, which is funded by the Doris Duke Charitable
Foundation with additional support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Artist/Group Bio(s)
Combining two tenor saxophones with bass and drums, the Quartet creates an
exciting, robust new soundscape. The eclectic musical backgrounds of the band
members infuse the music with the energy and creativity of new textures while
remaining firmly rooted in the jazz tradition. The band plays jazz festivals and
venues in New York City including this year’s WinterJazz Festival, and have a
track record of Bay Area festival and club appearances as well.
The quartet has released several CDs to critical acclaim including guest artists
ranging from innovative instrumentalists Joseph Jarman, Connie Crothers, Mark
Taylor, Dayna Stephens and Ambrose Akinmusire to poets Arisa White and
Abe Maneri and vocalist Ed Reed. Poets, storytellers, and guest musicians have
been augmenting the core quartet as the band continues to explore creative
alliances.
Jessica Jones is also active as a sideman and has worked with Joseph Jarman,
Cecil Taylor, and Don Cherry as well as a variety of Haitian, Caribbean, and
African bands. She composed an opera with poet Arisa White, as well as a
varied body of additional compositional work. She is an innovative jazz
educator and consultant, working with children on improvisation, composition,
and oral traditions for Jazz at Lincoln Center, Stanford Jazz Workshop, the
Vision Festival, Brooklyn Friends School, and others.
Tony Jones grew up in a hotbed of jazz education in Berkeley California where
he was steeped in music at home and trained in some of the earliest jazz
education programs in the nation. While still in high school, Jones was part of
an innovative cooperative quartet that performed bold experimental music
around the Bay Area and on an East Coast tour where they were exposed to the
still thriving loft jazz scene. Jones co-founded the Jessica Jones Quartet and,
with violinist Charlie Burnham, the Pitch, Rhythm and Consciousness Trio and
subsequent configurations; both groups record and perform extensively. He has
appeared as a sideman with Don Cherry, Muhal Richard Abrams, Peter
Apfelbaum, and Joseph Jarman, among others, including in national and
international jazz festivals.
Both Joneses are recipients of the inaugural Jerome Artist Fellowship and are
Founders and Co-Artistic Directors of Rare Earth Vibration Association
(revainc.org), a New York based performing arts non-profit that uses creative
arts to inspire, educate and heal people and communities.
Stomu Takeishi has played electric fretless bass in a variety of jazz settings
throughout the ’90s and 2000s. A member of Henry Threadgill’s Make a Move
and Zooid, Myra Melford‘s Crush Trio (with drummer Kenny Wollesen), and
Erik Friedlander‘s Topaz (with brother Satoshi Takeishi on percussion), Stomu
Takeishi has also played in trumpeter Cuong Vu‘s group Vu-Tet, and in the
North Indian-influenced Alankar. Takeishi performs on Satoko Fujii’s album,
South Wind, and has played with such musicians as Henry Threadgill, Don
Cherry, Randy Brecker, and Wynton Marsalis. Takeishi has toured
internationally with these various groups, from N.Y.C. to Finland’s Tampere
Festival.
A native of the Bay Area, master drummer Deszon Claiborne began his musical
career at the early age of 10. Virtually self taught in the beginning, he went on
to study with world-renowned drummers such as Barry Jekowsky, Ralph
Humphrey, James Levi, Billy Cobham and Keneth Nash, an experience which
provided him with a strong foundation in jazz, funk, classical, and world music.
He has had the pleasure to perform or record with the following artists:
Peter Apfelbaum, Angela Bofil, Les McCann, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Omar Sosa,
Charles Brown, Robben Ford, Boz Scaggs, Donald Harrison, Greg Howe, Ernie
Watts, Tony Moaco, Giovani Hildago, Keneth Nash, Larry Schneider and many
others. Deszon’s originality and professionalism make him one of the Bay
Area’s most in-demand drummers.
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