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Sean Jones

For the remarkable composer/trumpeter/educator/activist Sean Jones, the pursuit of Jazz is a most serious endeavor. Not just in terms of mastering the art form, but in its fullest meaning and purpose socially, philosophically and spiritually. Deeply influenced by his immersion in Gospel music in the church as a youth, Sean had an epiphany at the age of 19 while he was a student at Youngstown State University. That awakening occurred - as it has for so many serious-minded individuals both inside and outside of music - with his first hearing of the magnificent John Coltrane’s masterpiece A Love Supreme.

“I was driving in my car at the time and I had to pull off the road. All at once, everything just came together for me. My past, my present, my future. I knew the course I needed to pursue.”

Always a devout and focused young man, Sean sang and performed as a child in the choir at St. James Church of God in Christ in his hometown of Warren, Ohio. Originally a drummer, he discovered Jazz and the trumpet at ten years old upon hearing Miles Davis – specifically Kind of Blue and Amandla.

“Miles is probably the single most powerful influence on me as an artist. His overall vision, the way he changed with the times, the purity of his sound.”

Committing himself seriously to the instrument, the gifted young musician was also fortunate to have studied privately with the eminent teacher and great trumpeter Esotto Pellegrini. Perfecting technique through his studies, Sean was also developing his ears in the longtime Jazz tradition of absorbing the artistry of the masters through listening.

“Woody (Shaw) and Freddie (Hubbard) were first and second for me. And then there was Clifford (Brown), who I had to go back and discover through those two men.” He also cites Wynton Marsalis, whose personal work ethic and ability to break barriers had a deep effect on the emerging artist.

“When I saw Wynton’s picture on a classical album, I knew there were no limitations on me; everything could be within my grasp.”

Five years later, after receiving his Master’s Degree from Rutgers University (where he studied under the renowned Professor William Fielder, who also taught Marsalis) Sean had a 6-month stint with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Wynton offered Sean a permanent position as lead trumpeter and Jones remained there until 2010, participating in two recordings.

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Album Review

Clark Gibson: Counterclock

Read "Counterclock" reviewed by Pierre Giroux


Saxophonist Clark Gibson's Counterclock demonstrates the synergy that can be generated by an outstanding group of performers, including trumpeter Sean Jones, trombonist Michael Dease, Hammond B-3 organist Pat Bianchi, vibraphonist Nick Mancini and drummer extraordinaire Lewis Nash. While pushing the boundaries, the set list, with one exception, is made up of original compositions by Gibson and Mancini. The opener, “Conflict," captures Gibson's emotive alto saxophone work as he is pushed along by Nash's drumming and Bianchi's ...

Album Review

Steven Feifke: The Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra

Read "The Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Metti assieme un talentoso giovane orchestratore come Steven Feifke, un trombettista di prima grandezza come Bijon Watson e una big band con grandi nomi e prestigiosi ospiti e il risultato è scontato. Il debutto della Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra è stato propiziato dalla collaborazione col Jazz Education Network ed ha assunto le vesti di un album includendo in organico ospiti di rilievo come Kurt Elling, Sean Jones e Chad Lefkowitz Brown. Il principale riferimento è la tradizione ...

37
Album Review

NYO Jazz: We're Still Here

Read "We're Still Here" reviewed by Jack Bowers


The “NYO" in NYO Jazz is shorthand for National Youth Orchestra, a marvelous concept that should be cloned and shipped to as many cities, towns and villages as possible. NYO, comprising carefully chosen musicians, ages 16 to 19, from across the U.S.A. is based at Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute in New York City, and We're Still Here marks its first full-length recording. The NYO's artistic director is trumpeter, composer and educator Sean Jones who is featured ...

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Album Review

Emmet Cohen: Uptown In Orbit

Read "Uptown In Orbit" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic


Pianist/composer/educator/impresario Emmet Cohen has proven himself time and time again to be one of the guiding lights of 21st century jazz. And he may have/could have single-handedly saved our collective sanity and jazz's continued rise and relevance when, in the face of a world plague, he began streaming Live From Emmet's Place from his apartment in Harlem. First it was Cohen and his trusty trio mates, bassist Russell Hall and drummer Kyle Poole. Then the sessions expanded to include such ...

47
Album Review

Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra: The Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra

Read "The Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra" reviewed by Jack Bowers


The Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra, co-led by pianist/composer Steven Feifke and trumpeter par excellence Bijon Watson, is a seventeen-member ensemble comprising seasoned players paired with young lions who are poised to capture pride of place. Nowhere do the leaders say who is in which group, and it would be impolitic to name them here. Suffice to say that some of the names may be more familiar than others--as, for example, trombonist John Fedchock who cut his teeth with one of ...

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Album Review

Dr. Lonnie Smith: Breathe

Read "Breathe" reviewed by La-Faithia White


Dr. Lonnie Smith, guru of the Hammond B3 organ for over five decades, now releases eight songs, six of which were recorded live in 2017 at The Jazz Standard in New York City, during his seventy-fifth birthday. In December 2020, The Jazz Standard closed because of the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic which has taken the lives of many jazz clubs throughout the USA. The opening song, “Why Can't We Live Together," is a remake of the 1972 ...

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Album Review

Jihye Lee: Daring Mind

Read "Daring Mind" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Korean-born composer Jihye Lee is a musician who knows her own mind, whether it be relentless, unshakable, revived, dissatisfied or Daring, as on her second recording for Motema Records. In 2018, Lee earned the prestigious BMI Charlie Parker Composition Prize for “Unshakable Mind," one of nine diverse themes presented here. Another, “I Dare You," is loosely based on Wayne Shorter's response when asked, “What is jazz?" It is a question Lee must also address, as her music is not only ...

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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Sean Jones

Jazz Musician of the Day: Sean Jones

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Sean Jones' birthday today!

For the remarkable composer/trumpeter/educator/activist Sean Jones, the pursuit of Jazz is a most serious endeavor. Not just in terms of mastering the art form, but in its fullest meaning and purpose socially, philosophically and spiritually. Deeply influenced by his immersion in Gospel music in the church as a youth, Sean had an epiphany at the age of 19 while he was a student at Youngstown State University. That awakening occurred- as ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Sean Jones

Jazz Musician of the Day: Sean Jones

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Sean Jones' birthday today!

For the remarkable composer/trumpeter/educator/activist Sean Jones, the pursuit of Jazz is a most serious endeavor. Not just in terms of mastering the art form, but in its fullest meaning and purpose socially, philosophically and spiritually. Deeply influenced by his immersion in Gospel music in the church as a youth, Sean had an epiphany at the age of 19 while he was a student at Youngstown State University. That awakening occurred- as ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Sean Jones

Jazz Musician of the Day: Sean Jones

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Sean Jones' birthday today!

For the remarkable composer/trumpeter/educator/activist Sean Jones, the pursuit of Jazz is a most serious endeavor. Not just in terms of mastering the art form, but in its fullest meaning and purpose socially, philosophically and spiritually. Deeply influenced by his immersion in Gospel music in the church as a youth, Sean had an epiphany at the age of 19 while he was a student at Youngstown State University. That awakening occurred- as ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Sean Jones

Jazz Musician of the Day: Sean Jones

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Sean Jones' birthday today!

For the remarkable composer/trumpeter/educator/activist Sean Jones, the pursuit of Jazz is a most serious endeavor. Not just in terms of mastering the art form, but in its fullest meaning and purpose socially, philosophically and spiritually. Deeply influenced by his immersion in Gospel music in the church as a youth, Sean had an epiphany at the age of 19 while he was a student at Youngstown State University... Read more.

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Performance / Tour

Jazz this week: Sean Jones Quartet, Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, Nutria, a new weekly jam session, and more

Jazz this week: Sean Jones Quartet, Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, Nutria, a new weekly jam session, and more

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music in St. Louis features some top talent on trumpet and trombone, the local debut of an up-and-coming band from New Orleans, a new weekly jam session, and more. Let's go to the highlights... Wednesday, February 28 Trumpeter Sean Jones returns with his quartet for the first of four nights at Jazz at the Bistro. Jones (pictured, top left) has been a frequent visitor to St. Louis in recent years, turning up ...

1

Performance / Tour

Jazz this week: Sean Jones, Sylvie Courvoisier & Mark Feldman, Roseanna Vitro, and more

Jazz this week: Sean Jones, Sylvie Courvoisier & Mark Feldman, Roseanna Vitro, and more

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

Even as presenters prepare to go into full holiday mode, it's going to be be a busy week for jazz and creative music in and around St. Louis, with visits from several major touring musicians in the next few days, plus special seasonal performances from a number of local favorites. Let's go to the highlights... Wednesday, December 2 Trumpeter Sean Jones returns to Jazz at the Bistro for the first evening of a four-night engagement in which he'll be recording ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Sean Jones

Jazz Musician of the Day: Sean Jones

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Sean Jones' birthday today! Sean Jones For the remarkable composer/trumpeter/educator/activist Sean Jones, the pursuit of Jazz is a most serious endeavor. Not just in terms of mastering the art form, but in its fullest meaning and purpose socially, philosophically and spiritually. Deeply influenced by his immersion in Gospel music in the church as a youth, Sean had an epiphany at the age of 19 while he was a student at Youngstown State University... Read more. ...

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Event

The Pittsburgh Jazz Celebration Featuring Ramsey Lewis, Kurt Elling, Sean Jones And The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra At Heinz Hall On June 16, 2015

The Pittsburgh Jazz Celebration Featuring Ramsey Lewis, Kurt Elling, Sean Jones And The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra At Heinz Hall On June 16, 2015

Source: Renée J. Govanucci

Announcing The Jazz Event Of The Year! Pittsburgh, PA: Announcing an exciting and ground-breaking partnership between MCG Jazz, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust in collaboration with the Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival and WQED. On Tuesday, June 16, at Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts, these partners will come together to present The Pittsburgh Jazz Celebration, an evening of music with the Pittsburgh Symphony and featuring pianist Ramsey Lewis, vocalist Kurt Elling and trumpeter Sean Jones, among other ...

1

Career

Trumpeter Sean Jones Named Chair Of Berklee's Brass Department

Trumpeter Sean Jones Named Chair Of Berklee's Brass Department

Source: Berklee Media Relations

Berklee College of Music has named noted trumpeter Sean Jones chair of the college’s Brass Department. Jones will build on the legacy of the department and ensure that graduates have the skills to thrive in a music industry that is ever-changing. He succeeds trombonist Tom Plsek, who served as chair for 25 years. Jones is an internationally acclaimed composer and trumpeter who just released his seventh album as a leader, im•pro•vise = never before seen, on Mack Avenue Records. “Sean ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Sean Jones

Jazz Musician of the Day: Sean Jones

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Sean Jones' birthday today! As we’ve all been told, birds do it, bees do it—but anyone who’s actually gone to the trouble of falling in love knows that it’s a lot more complicated when humans get involved. Which can make the reality of relationships a bit disappointing for those weaned on a steady diet of radio-friendly love songs, but can also provide a much richer experience than it’s possible to describe in a couple of ...

Primary Instrument

Trumpet

Location

Cleveland

Credentials/Background

Professor of Trumpet and Jazz Studies - Duquesne University - current Adjudacator - North Carolina Regional Essentially Ellington Festival - 2006 Clinician - Carolina Jazz Festival - 2006 Clinician - Depaul University - 2006 Clinician - The Ohio Jazz Summit - 2004, 2006 Guest Speaker - Miller Elementary School - 2005 Clinician - Michigan State University Jazz Spectacular - 2005 Clinician and Performer - The Morehouse College Jazz Festival - 2005 Guest Speaker - Kinski Area High School Bands - 2005 Clinician - Yamaha Day of Trumpets - 2005 Guest Speaker - CAPA High School - 2005 Clinician and Performer - Dickinson College - 2003, 2005 Instructor (Trumpet) - Montclair Music Prep Division - 2003 Instructor (Trumpet and Pedagogy) - Jazz Connections - 2002 Adjunct Professor (Jazz Trumpet) - Youngstown State University - 2000-2001 Instructor - East Cleveland Public Schools - 2001

Zach Rich
trombone

Photos

Concerts

Mar 28 Thu
Sean Jones
El Mocambo
Toronto, Canada

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Counterclock

Cellar Music group
2024

buy

We’re Still Here

Self Produced
2022

buy

The Generation Gap...

Cellar Records
2022

buy

Uptown In Orbit

Mack Avenue Records
2022

buy

We're Still Here

Self Produced
2022

buy

Daring Mind

Motéma Music
2021

buy

Revived Mind

From: Daring Mind
By Sean Jones

Videos

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