Workshop Jazz-Drums mit Alan Jones

Improvisation can save the world
How being able to tell your own story, while listening without prejudice can be a blueprint for functional communication.

Alan Jones / Drummer, Composer, Educator, Producer

Known for his vitality and groove, Alan Jones is a passionate mountain climber, builds his own drums and plays barefoot. The Toronto Globe and Mail called his trio performance at the Top of the Senator with Phil Dwyer and Rodney Whittaker one of the "Top 10 moments in Canadian jazz." Born in Longview, Washington in 1962, Alan was raised in Portland, Oregon where at the age of 6 he began playing the drums and guitar. He studied drums with the legendary Mel Brown and Jeff Cumpston. By 16 he was on the road with the notorious organist from Amsterdam, Count Dutch and Native American saxophonist Jim Pepper. Alan graduated from Berklee College of Music, studied with the master, Alan Dawson, and spent 2 summers at the Banff Center for the Fine Arts in Canada. Alan has learned drum set and brush technique at the feet of Elvin Jones, was taught the shuffle by Art Blakey and has gotten invaluable insight and wisdom from Tony Williams, Jaco Pastorius, Roy Haynes and Billy Higgins.

As a drummer:
Alan has performed, toured and/or recorded with some of the greatest living artists:
Andrew Hill, Leroy Vinnegar, Red Mitchell, Kenny Wheeler, David Friesen, John Abercrombie, Jim Pepper, Miroslav Vitous, John Clayton, Cecil Taylor, Bud Shank, Randy Brecker, Denny Zeitlin, Dave Liebman, Airto Moriera, George Cables, Lee Konitz, Ralph Towner, Ingrid Jensen, Dave Holland, Charles McPherson, Esperanza Spalding, Azar Lawrence, Sonny Fortune, John Hicks.

As a composer:
Alan's sextet recordings, Unsafe, The Leroy Vinnegar Suite and Climbing were engineered and co-produced by pop/rock legend Gino Vannelli and highlight his turbine playing as well as his extensive and cutting-edge composing. Recordings with his band The Bridge Quartet on the CD's Day and Night reflect a hard hitting live performance vibe, whereas the soundtrack composed for Michael Curry's massive stage production Spirits shows the jazz influenced world music side of Alan. Then there's the highly creative chord-less quartet The Fensters represented on two recordings Jazz Music Vol 1 and Jazz Music Vol X where each instrument plays an equal role in delivering groove, humor, jabs and knockouts. Alan's recording co-written with Francois Theberge, Another View, is an ambitious work three years in the making and features over 20 musicians and 3 vocalists. “… this is thoughtful material that reaches something deeper than the usual vocal Jazz Session, an experiment in songwriting and arranging that deserves attention.” — Jerome Wilson Cadence Magazine.
His latest recording Storyline features a new set of compositions with a brand new sextet line up, and speaks to the simple idea that through music, “story” is communicated back and forth between performer and audience.

As an educator:
While still in high school Alan began teaching private lessons. He worked with children ages 6—17 at the Krebs School for the Learning Disabled in Boston teaching music and music therapy. Has held positions at The American Institute of Music in Vienna, Austria (1990—1992) and at Portland State University (1993—Present). In 2007 he opened The Alan Jones Academy of Music. AJAM is an innovative education system focused on personal and collective improvisation from grade school through retirement, and earned him a Portland music award for “Outstanding Achievement in Jazz”. Students have been involved in projects ranging from collaborating with Michael Curry on multimedia stage presentations to balancing on tightropes to playing local concerts and International Jazz Festivals.