(the following article appeared in the June 2009 issue of Jazz and Blues Florida, Florida's online guide to Jazz and Blues. You can download the whole publication from their web site)
Winning Spins
by Bob Weinstock
JESSE JONES JR. NEVER HAD A chance to meet Cannonball Adderley, but the legendary alto saxophonist enormously influenced the Miami native. In fact, Jones, now 65, even coerced his younger brother, Melton, to pick up the trumpet so they could emulate Cannon and his younger brother, Nat, one of the premier hardbop frontlines of the 1950s and ’60s. So it’s fitting that Jones’ new recording, the all-original So Then Collection, begins with “Cannon B,” a track that sounds as if it could have been lifted directly from the Adderleys’ songbook. It’s also fitting that the album features Melton Mustafa, hanging fire on trumpet next to his older brother, as he has so often over the decades.
A long time coming, The So Then Collection follows up Jones’ 1996 recording Soul Serenade. In addition to the opening ode to Cannon, who grew up in Tampa and taught briefly at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, Jones penned tunes that express love for his wife, Thelma (“Having You Is a Blessing”), his baby bro (“My Brother Melton”), his youngest son (“Blues for Jarin”) and his mother (whom he ironically referred to as “Young Sprout”). The title of the album honors his father, who used to tease Jones and his siblings when they excitedly recounted a story by responding with a pokerfaced, “So then… ?”
Naturally, Cannon’s impact can be heard throughout, but it's especially pronounced on the swinging, muscular opener. The composition utilizes the precise unison lines and churchy riffage for which the Adderleys were renowned, and Jones’ silky, bluesy alto owes much to Cannon. The piece leaves plenty of room for superb solos from Jones, Mustafa and Jones’ longtime pianist, Silvano Monasterios. Drummer James Cotman, outstanding throughout, keeps the excitement boiling.
Paul Shewchuk’s quickstepping bass line sets the mood for “My Brother Melton,” as he and the swift-sticking Cotman open this standout track with a bebop pulse. Full of humor and feeling, Jones’ inventive solo sounds like no one else. The tune concludes with Jones and Mustafa dynamically exchanging ideas, and you almost wish the conversation went on longer. “Blues for Jarin” spotlights Jones’ excellent feel for the blues, as he takes a funky, slinky alto stroll and sounds like the epitome of cool.
What's better than cool? How about a sizzling Latin groover? That seems to be the implication of “It’s Better Than Cool,” which defies listeners to keep still. Whether supporting or soloing, Monasterios turns up the heat, while Cotman peels some dazzling rolls and Shewchuk keeps things dancing along the bottom. Jones burns like acetylene, his solos building in intensity until he lets loose with an ecstatic onrush that borrows from the blues-drenched phrasing of Hank Crawford and the emotional overblowing of Pharaoh Sanders. The leader also displays his mastery of the flute on a few tracks, providing mellow interludes but remaining soulful and emotive.
Arranged around a push-pull rhythm, “Having You Is a Blessing” provides a showcase for Jones’
engaging vocals. “Nothing is impossible, when in your soul there’s love,” he sings, before joyously
scatting the tune to a close in his signature style. Jones returns to the vocal mike for the
infectious gospel track, “To the Mighty Son” — he strains a bit here, but there's no mistaking the
deep feeling.
Faith plays a central role in Jones’ life, as can be divined from this most-personal recording. The exotic yet lyrical “Tharbis” references the Ethiopian wife of Moses, and Jones switches to the soprano sax for a Middle Eastern feel. “Romans 8,” the Scriptural shout-out that has graced the saxophonist’s business cards for years, provides the title for a thoughtful, flute-fueled meditation.
Having just retired from his 23-year day gig as a bailiff at the Miami-Dade Courthouse, and with plans to relocate to Tennessee on the horizon, Jones may indeed leave fans wondering “So, then?” If we’re lucky, the answer may be: more time to record albums like this one.