New York, New York – Musician/composer Paul Jones has never been afraid to take chances or to reach deeper when creating music that stands uniquely apart and stands the test of time. This New York-based contemporary jazz artist had been gaining musical ground as a bandleader, before the release of his debut album, Short History in 2014. Fans both here and abroad, have come to respect the nuanced complexities that permeate the originality of his compositions.

With his latest album, The Process due for release in January of 2019, Jones strikes out on a new journey, taking steps forward by taking a step back in time and calling on a different set of influences. The album, comprised of mostly original material, except for the refreshingly, cool version of the Rogers & Hammerstein classic, It Might As Well Be Spring, leans more heavily on traditional jazz roots than any of his previous works.

Recorded live, on a quiet Sunday afternoon in Rome, Italy, at the end of a two-week European tour earlier this year -- almost every one of the eight tracks on this new album was laid down on the first take. That was due in large part to the three dynamic musicians featured on The Process - guitarist, Syberen van Munster, a native of Amsterdam, who has distinguished himself as one of the new crop of outstanding young musicians making the rounds of New York’s Jazz circuit; bassist Tim Thornton a regular on the British jazz scene and a frequent host of the Late Show at London’s popular Ronnie Scotts; as well as, drummer Francesco De Rubeis, a graduate of the Dutch Royal Conservatory, who has been refining his musical skills for more than 15 years, as both a sideman and a leader.

Jones joined on tenor saxophone, leading the quartet seamlessly through a series of mesmerizingly, beautifully structured tracks, two of which are featured on his 2017 album release, Clean - I’m An American and the vibrant title track from that project. On this interpretation of Clean, Jones draws on the lucidity of Syberen’s lilting guitar work to add new layers of lyrical richness. The dynamic interplay between these four musicians/bandleaders carries throughout the album.

“I wanted to capture the sound of the group because very rarely do I perform with the same band, multiple nights in a row. I knew we would develop a set of songs and group sound along with our week-and-a-half long tour. I had experienced this before while touring with the soul group Eli "Paperboy" Reed and the Trueloves and thought it would be a great opportunity for my group to capture this moment,” he says of the project. “I think it was Thelonious Monk that said something along the lines, ‘you have to get the song right on the first take or you miss the magic.’ This recording is a documentation of a group sound and experience and is a testament to how well the group knew the music. We were able to capture the essence of each piece in one pass.”

Recording The Process has given Jones license to take risks, to explore and tap into the heart of traditional jazz forms and fuse them with his own novel approach and styling. The result is a project he is excited to have the public hear. Every cut on the album provides the musicians, a platform to let their improvisational skills shine and elevates the clarity and precision with which they attack each composition. With Jones at the helm, the quartet’s musical musings, pay homage to the legacy of yesterday’s jazz masters, who could be both structured and spontaneous in their delivery.

As Jones explains, “The influences on the album are subtle. The majority of the music is original. So, I think my larger jazz influences come into play. Dexter Gordon, Jerry Bergonzi, Brad Mehldau, Miles Davis, etc... I wanted to have a European released album even with the CD packaging style to match. I was really happy to get involved with AMP records because I like the visual representation of their albums.”