Approved Promotional Material

A savvy bandleader, intrepid improviser, gifted composer and veteran educator who’s mentored some of jazz’s finest 21s​ t century artists, Brooklyn tenor saxophonist Jessica Jones adds to her stellar discography with Edible Flowers​, an album which recording is a testament to a particular time in our recent history, with the Covid-19 pandemic stalling our lives and crushing our plans. It also embodies her approach to jazz as a seamless flow passed between players. With mainly compositions by Tony Jones and Jessica Jones, Edible Flowers captures the tight rapport of a band and their bonding and creative outpour and reaction in the particular moment in time.

Jessica Jones, tenor saxophone
Tony Jones, tenor saxophone
Stomu Takeishi, electric bass
Deszon Claiborne, percussion

These old friends gathered to play a short California tour sponsored in part by a South Arts Jazz Road grant in early March of 2020. A west coast version of the Jessica Jones Quartet, the group welcomed drummer Deszon Claiborne, a colleague and friend of Tony and Jessica since their time together in high school at the Summer Music Program at UC Berkeley and later in Peter Apfelbaum’s Hieroglyphics Ensemble. Jessica, Tony and Stomu had played together regularly over the previous decades, and Deszon fit right in, bonding with Stomu over subjects trivial and profound. 

Covid awareness bloomed right alongside the tour: the group played workshops in the south Bay Area, had a concert there cancelled, and then squeezed out a memorable performance at the Bird and Beckett venue in San Francisco before the rest of the tour - and the US in general -  was also shut down. They responded by creating a recording session in the house the New Yorkers were renting, documenting the band and this unique moment of time together on the brink of the unknown. 

The music echoes the bond the band created, stretching jazz interpretations into a signature looser arena that is their forte.

Recorded Friday March 13, 2020 live in Berkeley, California by Jeff Cressman

Mixed by Jeff Cressman, Mastered by Jeffrey Frey at Black Sheep Studios

Label: Reva Records

Jessica Jones Quartet

Ensemble Bio

The Jessica Jones Quartet is an improvising jazz ensemble which performs original experimental music. Their music derives from the jazz tradition using structured original compositions as a framework for freer improvisation. Combining two tenor saxophones with bass and drums, the group creates an exciting, robust new soundscape. Working with drummers and bassists on the forefront of the experimental jazz scene has allowed the group a level of exploration that gives birth to a unique sound. The compositions of Jessica Jones and husband and fellow tenor saxist, Tony Jones, are given life by the innovative and energetic rhythm section. The eclectic musical backgrounds of the band members infuse the music with the energy and creativity of new textures while remaining firmly rooted in the jazz tradition.

Jessica Jones Quartet has played numerous festivals around the country, including the Eddie Moore Jazz Festival in Oakland, California, where the group headlined with special guest Don Cherry and the 2020 Winter JazzFest in NYC. The group has been featured in venues on the East and West Coasts of the U.S. and released several CDs to critical acclaim that included guest artists  ranging from innovative instrumentalists Joseph Jarman, Connie Crothers, Mark Taylor, Dayna Stephens and Ambrose Akinmusire to poet Abe Maneri and vocalist Ed Reed. Poets, storytellers, and guest musicians have been augmenting the core quartet as the band continues to explore creative alliances. The band received a Jazz Road touring grant from South Arts in 2020, which culminated in the Edible Flowers recording.

Press Quotes

EDIBLE FLOWERS:

“Fresh and inventive....'Edible Flowers' is the quintessential jazz record.”

- Jimmy Rae, Scope Magazine

“Beyond the search for innovation lies a set of remarkable performers who imbue the sound of their instruments with profound meaning. This transforms them into compelling actors of their own universe, attuned to one another. It takes an extraordinary level of musical maturity to achieve such liberation in one’s sound. The year 2025 brings many delightful surprises, and this album is unquestionably one of them—deserving of a place among our “Essential Albums” series.”

- Thierry De Clemensat, Paris-Move

Previous Releases by the Jessica Jones Quartet:

 “With the chops to be a hell raiser and get away with it admirably, this set focuses on less is more without watering things down to scare off the core purists.  Improv in the hands of pros, this is a ride on an off ramp that’ll give you great views.”

- Chris Spector, Midwest Record

“Elegantly bridging the gap between free playing and more structured work, tenor saxophonist/pianist Jessica Jones and her quartet deliver a record that bucks convention while, remarkably, remaining somewhat true to it...Jones and her quartet have created an album that, for all its left leanings, is remarkably centered and maintains a surprising level of accessibility.”
- John Kelman, All About Jazz

“...an approachable, intriguing album, full of surprise and positive energy...this ensemble is a lean machine, with both Jessica and Tony shooting sharp, impulsive, coherent ideas.”
- Tomas Conrad, JazzTimes

“B​oth Joneses play tenor saxophone, and on Moxie [2015] they shift fluidly between unison statements and passages, one player shadowing the other so sympathetically that one forgets it’s two musicians. This unity is one of the most attractive things about this album, the fourth CD by their quartet, and it is enhanced by the rhythm section’s empathy. The ensemble’s affinity enhances the moments where the music pulls taut or picks up steam.”
Bill Meyer, DownBeat Magazine

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  • “Both Joneses play tenor sax that sounds like the missing link between Warne Marsh and Anthony Braxton...an appealingly diverse album.”
    Andy Hamilton, The Wire

  • “There’s a wonderful openheartedness to this music, a generosity and warmth rare to behold. Part of the feeling comes from Jones’ tenor; she’s a strong player with a beautiful tone and an innate sense of swing. She’s also an excellent composer, particularly her tribute to Wayne Shorter, “Waynopolis.” ...All these strong talents meld together to create exuberant jazz, making Nod one of the year’s most enjoyable releases.”
    Florence Wetzel, All About Jazz

  • “It’s the writing for horns that carries the CD onto a very rarefied level. Elastic, whirring, and yet with a classical sense of construction, they never fail to impress. Get this. No excuses.”
    - Kenneth Egbert, Jazz Now

Discography

Selected Performance History

Photos (low and hi resolution)

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Contacts