COURTESY PHOTO

Philip O. Berry Academy of Technology alumnus Sean Mason is pianist with JustKing Jones and his Quartet, which will play Middle C Jazz for three shows Nov. 5-6.

JustKing Jones and his Quartet will bring a fusion of Pan-African sounds to Middle C. Jazz this week.

Three shows are scheduled for Nov. 5-6, the first at 7 p.m. on Nov. 5, followed by two shows on Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. featuring composer and saxophonist Justin Jones, Charlotte natives Sean Mason on piano, Malcolm Charles on drums and Jason Clotter on bass. They head to Charlotte for part of the Unity Tour, which serves as a preview to the release of Jones’s debut album “One Day,” which combines jazz, gospel, reggae, Afro-beat and other Pan-African styles of music.

“Music is the one thing that has always brought people together no matter what,” Jones said. “I just want to make the experience welcoming to everybody, no matter what your race is, your gender, your age—they say jazz is for older people, but the way that we play, people who are younger like to come out to the shows and people who are older like to come out to the shows.”

Like many artists, Jones found himself forced to press pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He used the time to create and connect with other artists through platforms like Zoom, which allowed them to continue to play together and create despite being physically separated.

 “I had just finished an album and was about to go on tour during this time period, but [2020] has given me a lot of time to create and write more music,” Jones said. “I’m sitting on albums worth of music at this point, just waiting for the world to open up more [and] at a faster pace so I can plan out the second and third releases. For me [2020] has given me a lot of time and a lot of hope, so I can heal the world with my music.”

Jones grew up in a musical family, with parents in a gospel choir who would travel from their home in New Jersey to the Bronx on Saturday nights to sing. Their love of music translated to him.

“I remember even at like the age of two, my parents would go to the Bronx [to sing],” Jones said. “I remember hearing music like Kirk Franklin and Donnie McClurkin before I could even read and write.”

Jones fell in love with the saxophone at age 9, and never looked back.

“The first time I ever saw a saxophone, I knew that I wanted to play the saxophone,” he said. “I was in fourth grade and there was a group of people demonstrating band instruments – trumpet, flute, clarinet — all that. I saw a guy playing the saxophone and I ran home and told my dad I wanted to play the saxophone. I think about a week later I just had a saxophone. I always use that when I talk to other people who are parents, or just people in general. I tell them, ‘never deny your kids of something they may be interested in because it has brought me all over the world, albums. It has brought all sorts of things to my life and [to] other people who have been around me.’”

Mason and Jones connected when Mason, a Philip O. Berry Academy of Technology alumnus, moved to New York to attend Julliard. They met while having a session at a mutual friend’s house in Harlem. The connection was instantaneous. Then Jones was introduced to Charles through Mason’s band “The Sean Mason Trio.”

“I saw an Instagram clip of Malcolm Charles playing, just a 15-second clip, and I heard everything I needed to hear about his playing,” Jones said. “I called him to record my album, to play with us at the Blue Note [in New York City]. Since then he has been inspiring me. He is going to be producing some of the music on future albums, which is completely different from his drumming. That’s one thing I really love about him—how multitalented these guys are. They’re very diverse and bring a lot to the music.”

On the Net:
https://middlecjazz.com/show/justking-jones-unity-tour

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