SEAN JONES
Over the course of three previous albums for the Mack Avenue Records label, trumpeter Sean Jones has revealed himself as among the most immensely expressive, versatile and gifted players of his generation. With each new project, the Warren, Ohio native has peeled back another layer to show us a fresh peek at his soul. His 2004 solo debut, Eternal Journey (recorded when he was 25) introduced Sean as a deft expresser of modern bop for the 21st century via originals and standards in a quintet format. His sophomore effort, Gemini, found him deftly mixing soul and funk flourishes with bop, proving he was not adverse to more contemporary textures. His last album, Roots, reflects his love of the music of the church, which he grew up singing as a child.

Now with his fourth and equally impressive release Kaleidoscope, Sean Jones adds another hue to his ever-expanding musical palette ¬– showcasing the voices and song selections of an amazing assemblage of five top-flight singers: Gretchen Parlato, Carolyn Perteete, Sachal Vasandani, J.D. Walter, and contemporary gospel powerhouse Kim Burrell. Most of them are unknown to the majority of listeners...but not for long if Sean can help it.

"The concept of this record basically happened during a break in the sessions for Roots," Sean shares. "(Producer) Al Pryor said it would be cool if I recorded with some vocalists next time. I was open to that, but I didn't want to do a typical vocal record. I didn't want that soft, run-of-the-mill love song thing you hear on the radio. And I didn't want to grab a bunch of stars just to sell records. I wanted to create a document celebrating the vocalists of my generation – a hard-hitting project that would allow me to superimpose my sound on top of their dynamic styles."

The instantly striking aspect of this concept is the utter generosity and deference Jones gave to both his guest vocalists and band members. "This is a collaborative project," he states. "I believe that there is power in numbers and power in a generation, not in individuals. When I look at jazz and music in general, combined forces are much more effective than one person trying to make their testament alone. True, I am soloing on every song and there is space for me to shine but, I was more concerned with celebrating these gifted composers and vocalists. I titled the album Kaleidoscope because these artists represent the colors of my generation. And I see myself as a thread among them."

Kaleidoscope's opening number, "Allison," sets the stage for Jones' arresting first vocal forays. The piece opens as a soft, floating instrumental gradually building in intensity then introduces J.D. Walter singing a soaring wordless vocal reminiscent of the work of the pan-cultural Pat Metheny Group. "That tune is a mood," Sean says, "a bridge built to prepare listeners for what they're about to hear – a fresh segue from everything I've already done." Regarding the title, Sean adds, "Everyone in the studio knew an Allison so we called it 'Allison' – a universal thing."

Each of the guest vocalists showcased on Kaleidoscope brought not just a wealth of talent but a symbiotic intuition to the thematic direction Jones was shooting for in the project's gestation. "I asked each vocalist to submit four tunes apiece," Sean shares. "Then (band pianist Orrin Evans) and I chose the one that fit the vibe best."
Beginning with J.D. Walter, Sean states, "I've known J.D.'s work through Orrin. He's one of the greatest young up-and-coming male vocalists on the scene, but he's not really celebrated. He's so diverse. He can scat, has an amazing timbre and can sound like many different instruments. He's a phenomenal talent." J.D. is also featured on his buoyant original "So Wonderful," and a re-harmonized and syncopated arrangement of the Ray Evans standard "Never Let Me Go" – an engaging take that sounds nothing like the ballad hopeless romantics have grown accustomed to.

Next up is Gretchen Parlato, winner of the 2004 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocal Competition. Speaking for himself and likely all of the many who ask the lady to grace their projects, Sean states simply, "I love her voice." Already heard on acclaimed albums by Terence Blanchard, Lionel Loueke, Kendrick Scott Oracle and the Gregoire Maret/Andy Milne duo, the Los Angeles native also has a self-titled indie CD to her credit. For Sean, she is heard on her haunting original "Journey" (which she co-penned with drummer Kendrick Scott) and a duet with his new Mack Avenue label mate, Sachal Vasandani.

The Sachal Vasandani duet is titled "It's Just a Matter of Time" and also stands as among the first works that Sean heard him sing that inspired him to want to work with the vocalist. "I heard him at a Lincoln Center concert singing music written by Ron Westray adapted from Don Quixote," Sean explains. The message of the piece: "There is no time to rehearse for life."

The existential musings and queries of "It's Just a Matter of Time" are programmed here as a companion piece to the similar theme of "Esperanto," music by Vince Mendoza with lyrics penned by jazz vocalist Kurt Elling inspired by the poetry of Pablo Neruda. This piece was brought to Kaleidoscope by singer Carolyn Perteete, who qualifies as a Sean Jones discovery. "She lives near me in Pittsburgh," Sean shares. "She sat in with me at The Old Crawford Grille four years ago. I call her the perfect package – an amazing vocalist of style and timbre, and gorgeous – a record company's dream. She just needs to get out there."

The final featured vocalist is Kim Burrell, a transcendent gospel star whose expansive vocal capabilities have landed her in the company of jazz artists such as Kirk Whalum and Harry Connick, Jr. "It has always been a dream of mine to record with Kim Burrell,” Sean gushes. "When Wynton Marsalis needed a singer to perform an excerpt from Blood on The Fields at a gala, I told him he had to get Kim. When she called to thank me, I said, 'Please thank me by singing on my album.'" Burrell anoints Kaleidoscope with two pieces: "I Come to Thee" (penned by Orrin Evans with yet another fine vocalist, Tiffany Jones, and Heidi Martin) and the closer "You're the Reason." Of the latter, Sean witnesses, "That was written by my childhood friend Alton Merrill. On all of my CDs, I always try to let people know who I am. I know I'm not here for myself. I'm here because there is a higher power that sent me here to do good for mankind. It's not about being a Christian or a Muslim or any specific religion. It's about recognizing that there's a higher force that controls me and expects me to do good for everyone around me. Alton's song expressed that perfectly."

Beyond the vocalists, Kaleidoscope also pulls back the curtain on Sean's new expanded band – up from a quintet to a sextet with the official additions of tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III and alto saxophonist Brian Hogans. "I wanted to introduce my new band members as composers as well as players," Sean states. To that order, Smith contributed two compositions: the punctuated straight ahead swinger "Say Brah" and the more meditative title track "Kaleidoscope," which features brilliant counterpoint bass playing of Luques Curtis.

Brian Hogans, the youngest member of the band, contributes "Blak Music," the theme song of a band he was part of in Atlanta. "I got hip to Brian through his brother Lee Hogan (pop icon Prince's trumpet player) who was my roommate. When Brian came in, not only did he knock me out on alto sax, he put the horn down, and promptly sat at the piano and killed it!"

The remaining piece is a rolling and tumbling composition of vitality from the pen of Sean's right hand – pianist Orrin Evans – titled "The Sluice" and featuring the explosive drumming of Obed Calvaire. "A Sluice is a pathway that brings the good water from one source to another," Sean explains. "Orrin and I dedicate that song to Professor Ralph Bowen, through whom a continuum of nothing but the good stuff flows whenever he plays."

The same can be said of Sean Jones, a player whose style reflects Clifford Brown for technical facility, Freddie Hubbard for flowing, lyrical lines, Woody Shaw for his intervalistic approach, and Miles Davis for leadership in forward thinking and contouring the music of the eras around his singular style. Indeed, it was after a teacher gave Sean – then a fifth grader – copies of Davis' albums Kind of Blue (1959) and Tutu (1986) that he was hooked on trumpet immediately. Lessons learned under Professor Bill Fielder were of infinite guidance to young Sean as were high school studies with Esotto Pellegrini, which led to Sean earning an undergraduate degree in classical trumpet.

Beyond his responsibilities as the leader of his new sextet, which he intends to tour with extensively in 2007, Sean Jones is lead trumpeter of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and the Professor of Jazz Studies at Duquesne University.

Prolific to his core, Sean is has already conceptualized his next project, a more personal work titled Transitions. "This is a deep year," Sean muses. "There are some major shifts coming in my life...and I'm hearing them sonically in my new music...more meter changes, more instruments and more complex pieces."

PUBLICITY
STEPH BROWN / DL MEDIA
610-667-0501
stephdlmedia@covad.net

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