$20 cover charge; sliding scale available

The Bay Area 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. Read about the band here.

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.

Last year, writing in Berkleyside, Andrew Gilbert had this to say: “Part of the first wave of kids to come up through the Berkeley public school system’s innovative jazz education program, Jones was mentored as a young teen by free jazz drummer Charles Moffett. She connected with another key Ornette Coleman collaborator in the late 1980s when trumpeter Don Cherry settled in the Bay Area. Based in Brooklyn since 1997, she’s recorded a series of singular albums, such as the 2011 duo album with the late piano legend Connie Crothers Live at the Freight.”

“… 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

https://www.jessicajonesmusic.com/about