Willie Jones Iii

Born In Los Angeles California On June 8 1968 Jones Earliest Exposure To Music Was Through His Father Willie Jones II An Accomplished And Notable Jazz Pianist Who Offered Guidance And Inspiration To His Gifted Son. Dedicated To The Further Development Of His Skills Jones III Spent The Next Few Years Working Diligently With Acclaimed Drummers And Music Instructors And Began Performing With Distinguished Musicians By The Time He Was In His Teens. Jones Completed His Academic Training After Receiving A Full Scholarship To The California Institute Of The Arts Where He Studied Under The Tutelage Of The Legendary Albert "Tootie" Heath. Before He Was A Semifinalist In The 1992 Thelonious Monk Jazz Drum Competition Jones Co-Founded Jazz Band Black Note. Influenced By The Rich Soulful Energy Of The West Coast Bop Movement Black Notes Hard-Swing Sound Propelled Them To First Place In The Prestigious John Coltrane Young Artist Competition In 1991. Jones Contributed His Skillfulness As Both Musician And Producer On All Four Black Note Recordings 43rd & Degnan And L.A. Underground World Stage Records Jungle Music Columbia And Nothin But The Swing Impulse! . By 1994 The Band Had Toured Europe And Across The U.S. And Was The Opening Act For Wynton Marsalis. Near The End Of 1994 While Jones Was Reaching For A Higher Level Of Drumming Dexterity He Gained The Privilege Of Playing Sideman To The Renowned Vibist Milt Jackson Where Jones Learned The Importance Of Pacing And Sensitivity. Meanwhile His Musical Career Continued To Unfold. From 1995 Through 1998 He Was A Member Of Arturo Sandovals Band And Is Featured On Sandovals GRAMMY Award Winning Release Hot House N2K . Subsequently Jones Recorded With Horace Silver On Jazz Has A Sense Of Humor Impulse! . From 1998-2005 Jones Was A Member Of Roy Hargroves Quintet And Is Featured On Roy Hargroves CD Releases On Verve Moment To Moment Hard Groove Nothing Serious And RH Factors Distractions. Jones Can Be Heard On A Host Of Recordings Including Kurt Ellings GRAMMY? Nominated Night Moves Concord And Eric Reeds Here Max Jazz . Jones Has Worked With Sonny Rollins Ernestine Anderson Bobby Hutcherson Wynton Marsalis Cedar Walton Billy Childs Eric Reed Ryan Kisor Eric Alexander Bill Charlap Michael Brecker Herbie Hancock And Hank Jones. In 2000 Jones Released His Debut CD Vol 1...Straight Swingin On His Own Label WJ3 Records. He Continues To Reveal His Proficiency As A Composer As Well As A Producer On Vol II...Dont Knock The Swing WJ3 Released In 2002 And His Latest Release Volume III WJ3 . In 2007 He Produced And Released WE 2 WJ3 A Trombone And Piano Recording Featuring Wycliffe Gordon And Eric Reed. read less