Search - Sean Jones :: Gemini

Steller jazz from an emerging giant

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 07/07/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sean Jones' sophomore disc for Mack Avenue records finds the young trumpeter working both sides of the street, so to speak--the jazz side and the funk side. But he fools you by mixing things up in an intriguing way: the hard-bop numbers often occur in an electric context, and the fink numbers emerge from an acoustic matrix.



Does it work?



Yes, and very well. Only 27 years old when this disc was recorded, Jones exhibits both chops and savvy beyond his years. For one thing, he's brought together some of the finest jazz musicians on the planet: Mulgrew Miller (piano); Orrin Evans (keyboards); label mate Ron Blake (tenor sax); and E. J. Strickland (drums). Lesser known, but equally adept, are Tia Fuller (alto sax and flute); Walter Smith III (tenor sax), Kenny Davis (acoustic and electric bass), Andre Hayward (trombone), and Corey Rawls (drums). These players, given some wonderful original and traditional material to work with, all deliver fine performances. That Jones had the courage and vision to craft a disc that ventures rather beyond the typical hard-bop or funk session--and to gather players of such accomplishment and get them to produce on such a high level--bespeaks a very bright future for the leader.



With discs of such brilliance--one thinks also of recent efforts by Jason Moran, Brad Mehldau, Stefon Harris, Loren Stillman, Ben Allison, Michael Blake, and Rudresh Mahanthappa--coming from the younger generation of jazzers, the music seems to be in very good hands."

Superb

Duncan Clark | Pittsburgh, PA USA | 04/06/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sean Jones' tone, intonation and musicality are stellar. On this CD, the material is interesting and appealing, the other musicians are outstanding and Jones is great. The bop and funkier tracks blend well. The uses of synth keyboard on a few tracks is tasteful and adds to rather than detracting from the overall sound and musical quality. This is a CD I have found myself listening to every day, and I am sure I will be enjoying this for years. IMO, one of the best jazz CDs in recent years."