| Darius Jones | |
| Birth Date: | 3 May 1978 |
| Birth Place: | Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. |
| Genre: | Jazz, avant-garde jazz, New Music, experimental |
| Occupation: | Composer, Alto saxophonist |
| Instrument: | Alto saxophone |
| Years Active: | 2003–present |
Darius Jones (born May 3, 1978) is an American saxophonist,[1] composer,[2] and professor[3] of African-American music.[4]
Jones has been recognized for work ranging from solo saxophone to chamber and vocal ensembles,[5] [6] with musical interests including Black music, avant garde music, and experimental music.[7] [8] His compositions and recordings have been included in best-of lists in publications including NPR Music,[9] The Wire,[10] and PopMatters,[11] and his live performances have been acknowledged as among the year's best in The New York Times.[12]
In 2024, Jones was announced as incoming Assistant Professor of Music at Wesleyan University.[13]
Jones was born in Virginia and graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies in 2003.[14]
Jones moved to New York City in 2005. In 2008, he was awarded a Van Lier Fellowship[15] and earned a Master of Arts in Jazz Performance/Composition from New York University.[16] He received the French-American Jazz Exchange Award in 2013[17] and a Jerome Foundation Commission in 2014.[18]
Jones taught saxophone and improvisation at Columbia University in 2017. The following year, Jones received a Harvard University Fromm Music Foundation commission[19] and joined the faculty at The New School, where he taught in the College of Performing Arts and Contemporary Music.[20]
Jones has presented and performed major compositional works throughout the United States and Canada, including during Western Front residencies in Vancouver in 2019 and 2022.[21] Jones was the inaugural Artist-in-Residence and curator for the 2022 MATA Festival.[22]
In 2024, Jones was announced as incoming Assistant Professor of Music at Wesleyan University.
Jones' musical collaborations include performing with Matthew Shipp, the quartet Grass Roots, and the punk-jazz quartet Little Women.[23] Jones has composed for and worked on projects in new music, contemporary and avant-garde jazz groups, chamber ensembles, modern dance performance and multi-media.[24]
Notable releases include Man'ish Boy (A Raw & Beautiful Thing), his debut album as a leader (AUM Fidelity, 2009);[25] [26] Big Gurl (Smell My Dream) (AUM Fidelity, 2011); Raw Demoon Alchemy (a lone operation), his first solo saxophone project (Northern Spy Records, 2021); and the four track LP fLuXkit Vancouver (-i-t-s- suite but sacred), co-released in 2023 by Northern Spy Records and WeJazz.[27]
| Release year | Artist | Title | Label | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Little Women | Teeth | Sockets | Jones, Travis Laplante (tenor sax), Ben Greenberg (guitar), Jason Nazary (drums) | |
| 2009 | Darius Jones Trio | Man'ish Boy (A Raw & Beautiful Thing) | AUM Fidelity | Jones, Cooper-Moore (piano, diddley-bo), Rakalam Bob Moses (drums) | |
| 2010 | Little Women | Throat | AUM Fidelity | Jones, Laplante (tenor sax), Andrew Smiley (guitar), Nazary (drums) | |
| 2011 | Darius Jones & Matthew Shipp | Cosmic Lieder | AUM Fidelity | Jones, Shipp (piano) | |
| 2011 | Darius Jones Trio | Big Gurl (Smell My Dream) | AUM Fidelity | Jones, Adam Lane (bass), Nazary (drums) | |
| 2012 | Darius Jones Quartet | Book of Mæ'bul (Another Kind of Sunrise) | AUM Fidelity | Jones, Matt Mitchell (piano), Trevor Dunn (bass), Ches Smith (drums) | |
| 2012 | Grass Roots | Grass Roots | AUM Fidelity | Jones, Sean Conly (bass), Alex Harding (baritone sax), Chad Taylor (drums) | |
| 2013 | Little Women | Lung | AUM Fidelity | Jones, Laplante (tenor sax), Smiley (guitar), Nazary (drums) | |
| 2014 | Darius Jones & Matthew Shipp | The Darkseid Recital | AUM Fidelity | Jones, Shipp (piano) | |
| 2014 | Darius Jones | The Oversoul Manual | AUM Fidelity | Composer; performed by The Elizabeth-Caroline Unit: Amirtha Kidambi, Sarah Martin, Jean Carla Rodea, Kristin Slipp (voice) | |
| 2015 | Darius Jones Quartet | Le bébé de Brigitte | AUM Fidelity | Mitchell (piano), Conly (bass), Pascal Niggenkemper (bass), Smith (drums), ft. Emilie Lesbros (voice, piano) | |
| 2021 | Darius Jones | Raw Demoon Alchemy (A Lone Operation) | Northern Spy | Solo | |
| 2023 | Darius Jones | fLuXkit Vancouver (-i-t-s suite but sacred) | Northern Spy / WeJazz | Composer, Darius Jones (alto saxophone) with Gerald Cleaver (drums), Jesse Zubot (violin), Josh Zubot (violin), Peggy Lee (cello), James Meger (bass) | |
| 2024 | Darius Jones | Legend of E'boi (The Hypervigilant Eye) | AUM Fidelity | Composer, Darius Jones (alto saxophone) with Gerald Cleaver (drums), Chris Lightcap (bass) |
| Release | Leader | Title | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Constellation Records | |||
| 2021 | Hope | Northern Spy | ||
| 2020 | Slipknots Through a Looking Glass | Pyroclastic Records | ||
| 2019 | Barn Songs | Northern Spy | ||
| 2016 | Between Nothingness and Infinity | Laborie Jazz | ||
| 2014 | In Memory of Things Yet Seen | Clean Feed | ||
| 2013 | Life in the Sugar Candle Mines | Northern Spy | ||
| 2010 | Earth's Orbit | NoBusiness | ||
| 2013 | Absolute Horizon | NoBusiness | ||
| 2013 | The Sabir Mateen Jubilee Ensemble | Not Two | ||
| 2013 | Essence of Ellington | Centering | ||
| 2010 | Betweenwhile | AUM Fidelity | ||
| 2013 | Songs from the Ground | Fresh Sound New Talent | ||
| 2012 | Songs for Four Cities | Skycap |