On April 10th, AUM Fidelity will kick off its 15th anniversary year by releasing alto saxophonist/composer Darius Jones‘ Book of Mæ’bul (Another Kind of Sunrise), the third verse in his ongoing Man’ish Boy epic. This recording, featuring Jones’ quartet with pianist Matt Mitchell, bassist Trevor Dunn and drummer Ches Smith, introduces a new titular character, Mæ’bul, to the universe he is creating in close collaboration with graphic artist Randal Wilcox.

“Mæ’bul is the embodiment of every woman I have truly loved and had a relationship with in my life,” Jones explains. “They say Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that Love is God. I believe we as human beings are constantly searching for the answer to the mystery of these two elements of life. Beauty is not universal and Love is manifest differently from person to person. Mæ’bul is my attempt at creating a totem to represent my spiritual pursuit of these two elements in sound.”

Like the first two highly acclaimed recordings in the series, 2009′s Man’ish Boy (A Raw & Beautiful Thing) and last year’s Big Gurl (Smell My Dream), Book of Mæ’bul relates to a specific segment of what Jones calls the sonic tone poem of his life. This verse, which completes the epic’s back-story, is inspired by the many personal revelations he experienced in the years just before and just after he left home in 2005 to fully pursue his career as a musician in New York.

Time Out New York‘s Steve Dollar writes, “A powerhouse saxophonist with an unusually focused perspective, Darius Jones has ambitiously framed his personal story within the bigger picture of African-American musical history. It’s one of the reasons his performances have such a passionate narrative force, as if every solo conjured holy ghosts and prodigal sons, each with its own story to tell. The drama comes through loud and clear, as the stocky Virginia native has a lot of preacher blood in his veins.”

In their reviews of the previous verses of Jones’ eclectic autobiographical series, critics have called him “a singular talent” (Brian Morton, Jazz Journal), “fearless but disciplined” (Nate Chinen, New York Times), “a dramatic new voice on alto saxophone” (Richard Kamins, Hartford Courant), “always uniquely and recognizably his own man” (Phil Freeman, Burning Ambulance) and “a skilled composer, a hugely soulful saxophonist, and an assured leader” (François Couture, AllMusic.com).

Jones, who is profiled in the February issue of DownBeat, is building on a very fruitful 2011 that saw him play numerous gigs under his own name, launch a new intergenerational partnership with veteran pianist/composer Matthew Shipp, earn his second consecutive nomination for Up & Coming Artist of the Year at the Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards and appear on best-of-the-year lists in a variety of publications, including a Top 20 finish for Big Gurl in the prestigious Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll.

Learn more about Darius Jones at http://dariusjonesmusic.com

Photo: John Sharpe

On Sunday, February 12th at 8:00 p.m., New York-based alto saxophonist/composer Darius Jones will be the featured artist at Creative Differences’ monthly 2nd Sunday Series at The Windup Space in Baltimore.

Jones, an AUM Fidelity recording artist, has created new arrangements of material from his first two releases, Man’ish Boy (A Raw & Beautiful Thing) and Big Gurl (Smell My Dream), specifically to perform on this night with local musicians Dave Ballou (trumpet), John Dierker (reeds), Lafayette Gilchrist (piano), Michael Formanek (bass) and Eric Kennedy (drums).

Since delivering “one of the great jazz debuts of the past decade” (Britt Robson, eMusic.com) in 2009, Jones has been called “a singular talent” (Brian Morton, Jazz Journal), “a hot commodity in the Gotham jazz scene” (Dusted), “one of the most impressive and unique voices of our time” (Troy Collins, AllAboutJazz.com) and “a skilled composer, a hugely soulful saxophonist, and an assured leader” (François Couture, AllMusic.com).

Time Out New York‘s Steve Dollar adds, “A powerhouse saxophonist with an unusually focused perspective, Darius Jones has ambitiously framed his personal story within the bigger picture of African-American musical history. It’s one of the reasons his performances have such a passionate narrative force, as if every solo conjured holy ghosts and prodigal sons, each with its own story to tell. The drama comes through loud and clear, as the stocky Virginia native has a lot of preacher blood in his veins.”

Jones, who is profiled in the February issue of DownBeat, earned his second consecutive nomination for Up & Coming Artist of the Year at the 2011 Jazz Journalists Association Awards, and Big Gurl appeared on a variety of best-of-the-year lists, including a Top 20 finish in the prestigious Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll. Book of Mæ’bul (Another Kind of Sunrise), his third release as a bandleader, and the latest chapter of his ongoing Man’ish Boy series, will hit the streets in April.

Learn more about Darius Jones at http://dariusjonesmusic.com

Congratulations to our clients on being recognized by the following 2011 polls and year-end lists!

Darcy James Argue

DownBeat Critics’ Poll: Rising Star Composer (#1)

DownBeat Critics’ Poll: Rising Star Big Band (#2)

DownBeat Readers’ Poll: Big Band (#2)

JazzTimes Readers’ Poll: Best Big Band (#3)

100 Composers Under 40
—NPR in conjunction with WQXR 

Top 10 concerts/gigs in Ottawa
—Peter Hum, Ottawa Citizen 

Top 10 Concerts Of The Year (Brooklyn Babylon)
—David R. Adler, New York City Jazz Record

Noteworthy Live Shows This Year (Brooklyn Babylon)
—Ralph A. Miriello, Jazz Journalists Association

AUM Fidelity

Darius Jones

Musicians Of The Year
—The New York City Jazz Record

Darius Jones & Matthew Shipp, Cosmic Lieder (AUM066)

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Francis Davis, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Steve Dollar, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Ed Hazell, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Tim Niland, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top Albums For 2011
—S. Victor Aaron, Something Else!

Top 10 New Releases For 2011
—Tim Niland, Music and More 

Top 10 of 2011
—Stanley Zappa, Free Jazz 

Top 30 of 2011
—Andrew Forbes, THIS IS OUR MUSIC.

2011’s Ten Best New Releases
—Alain Drouot, Jazz Journalists Association

Albums of the Year: Honorable Mentions
—The New York City Jazz Record 

Top 10 Concerts of the Year
—Andrey Henkin, The New York City Jazz Record

Farmers By Nature, Out Of This World’s Distortions (AUM067)

Top 5 Albums of 2011
—Kevin Le Gendre, BBC 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—David Fricke, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—John Sharpe, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top Ten New Releases of 2011
—Kevin Le Gendre, Jazzwise 

Top Ten New Releases of 2011
—Daniel Spicer, Jazzwise 

Best New Jazz/Improvised Music Albums of 2011
—Steve Holtje, Culture Catch

Albums of the Year: Honorable Mentions
—The New York City Jazz Record 

Best Releases of 2011
—John Sharpe, AllAboutJazz.com 

David S. Ware/Cooper-Moore/WilliamParker/Muhammad Ali, Planetary Unknown (AUM068)

Jazz & Improv A-Z
—The Wire 

Record Of The Year (#34)
—Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Clifford Allen, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Larry Birnbaum, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Troy Collins, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Steve Dollar, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—David Fricke, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Aiden Levy, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Chris Monsen, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Bret Saunders, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top Ten New Releases of 2011
— Daniel Spicer, Jazzwise 

Top 10 Satisfying CDs of 2011
—Bret Saunders, Denver Post

Top 10 Albums of 2011
—Lawrence Joseph, Montreal Mirror

Best New Jazz/Improvised Music Albums of 2011
—Steve Holtje, Culture Catch

Top 10 of 2011
—Stanley Zappa, Free Jazz 

Best New Releases of 2011
—Troy Collins, AllAboutJazz.com 

Best New Releases of 2011
—Clifford Allen, Ni Kantu 

Top 10 New Releases For 2011
—Tim Niland, Music and More 

Best of 2011
—Antonio Terzo, Jazz Journalists Association 

Favorite 20 + 3 for 2011
—John Braithwaite, CKUT 90.3 FM

Albums of the Year: Honorable Mentions
—The New York City Jazz Record 

Darius Jones Trio, Big Gurl (AUM069)

Albums of the Year
—The New York City Jazz Record 

Record Of The Year (#19)
—Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Larry Birnbaum, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Troy Collins, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Steve Dollar, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Laurence Donohue-Greene, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Alain Drouot, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Tad Hendrickson, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Lyn Horton, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Chris Monsen, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—John Sharpe, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Jeff Stockton, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top Jazz Albums of 2011
—Shaun Brady, Philadelphia City Paper 

Best New Releases of 2011
—Troy Collins, AllAboutJazz.com 

Best Releases of 2011
—John Sharpe, AllAboutJazz.com 

Top 10 of 2011
—Guy Peters, Free Jazz 

Top 10 of 2011
—Tony Verstraete, Free Jazz 

Top 10 of 2011
—Lyn Horton, The Paradigm For Beauty

Top 10 New Releases
—Laurence Donohue-Greene, Jazz Journalists Association

Top 10 New Releases
—Shaun Brady, Jazz Journalists Association

Top 10 for 2011
—Tad Hendrickson, Jazz Journalists Association

Best of 2011: New Releases
—Luke Stewart, Jazz Journalists Association

Favorite 20 + 3 for 2011
—John Braithwaite, CKUT 90.3 FM

David S. Ware, Organica (AUM070)

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Larry Birnbaum, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top Jazz Albums of 2011
—Shaun Brady, Philadelphia City Paper 

Best of 2011: Jazz
—Bill Meyer, Dusted 

Best New Jazz/Improvised Music Albums of 2011
—Steve Holtje, Culture Catch

Top 30 of 2011
—Andrew Forbes, THIS IS OUR MUSIC.

Top 10 New Releases
—Shaun Brady, Jazz Journalists Association

James Falzone

DownBeat Critics’ Poll: Rising Star Clarinet (#4)

Great Arts Events I Was At 2011
—Janis Hashe, Chattanooga Pulse

KLANG, Other Doors (Allos Documents)

The year’s best jazz CDs
—Neil Tesser, Examiner.com 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Lyn Horton, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Derek Taylor, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Favorite 20 + 3 for 2011
—John Braithwaite, CKUT 90.3 FM

Albums of the Year: Honorable Mentions
—The New York City Jazz Record

Best of 2011
—Antonio Terzo, Jazz Journalists Association

Top 13 of 2011
—Neil Tesser, Jazz Journalists Association

Mary Halvorson

DownBeat Critics’ Poll: Rising Star Guitar (#1)

Best Guitarist 2011
—Village Voice, Best of New York

100 Composers Under 40
—NPR in conjunction with WQXR 

Mary Halvorson & Jessica Pavone, Departure Of Reason (Thirsty Ear)

My favorite albums of 2011
—Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader 

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Lyn Horton, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Top Albums for 2011
—Mark Saleski, Something Else!

Top 10 of 2011
—Lyn Horton, The Paradigm For Beauty

Weasel Walter/Mary Halvorson/Peter Evans, Electric Fruit (Thirsty Ear)

Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Alain Drouot, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

2011’s Ten Best New Releases
—Alain Drouot, Jazz Journalists Association

Fay Victor

Other Dimensions In Music featuring Fay Victor, Kaiso Stories (Silkheart)

Vocal Releases of the Year
—The New York City Jazz Record 

Best Vocal Album (#6)
—Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Record Of The Year (#40)
—Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Vocal Release of the Year
—John Szwed, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Vocal Release of the Year + Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Laurence Donohue-Greene, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Vocal Release of the Year + Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Ed Hazell, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Vocal Release of the Year + Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Robert Iannapollo, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Vocal Release of the Year + Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Chris Monsen, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Vocal Release of the Year + Top 10 New Releases of 2011
—Derek Taylor, Rhapsody Jazz Critics’ Poll 

Albums of the Year
—Laurence Donohue-Greene, The New York City Jazz Record

Best of 2011
—Derek Taylor, Dusted

Vocal releases of 2011
—John Szwed, Jazz Journalists Association 

Top 10 New Releases + Vocal releases of 2011
—Laurence Donohue-Greene, Jazz Journalists Association 

Top 10 of 2011
—Guy Peters, Free Jazz

Top 10 of 2011
—Stanley Zappa, Free Jazz

Favourites for 2011
—CKUT 90.3 FM 

Favorite 20 + 3 for 2011
—John Braithwaite, CKUT 90.3 FM 

Foto Bauer SAALFELDEN

This week, the Brooklyn-based quartet Little Women hits the road for performances in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, DC.

“Who knows why music smacks you upside the head and demands that you listen,” writes the Chicago Tribune‘s Kevin Williams, “but Little Women—saxophonists Travis Laplante and Darius Jones, guitarist Andrew Smiley and drummer Jason Nazary—make that kind of music. Genre? Little Women don’t really have one. You can take a punk friend, a jazz friend and a metal friend, and all will be thrilled that you took them to the show.”

Reviewers of the band’s latest release, Throat (AUM Fidelity), noted its “fearsome precision” (Hank Shteamer, Time Out New York), “aggressive and tremendously exciting sound” (Tim Niland, Music And More), and “stark juxtaposition of a range of genres, including free jazz, metal, folk, noise and prog” (John Sharpe, AllAboutJazz.com).

“Little Women don’t play fusion,” adds Exclaim!‘s David Dacks, “they make jazz and rock scream at each other. The collision infects the wandering but communicative spirit of the best free jazz with metal’s sonic range.”

Another year is almost in the books, which means it’s time for critics and fans alike to start compiling their best-releases-of-the-year lists.

For your reference, here’s a list of our clients’ 2011 recordings.

AUM Fidelity

Darius Jones & Matthew Shipp, Cosmic Lieder
Farmers By Nature, Out Of This World’s Distortions
David S. Ware/Cooper-Moore/William Parker/Muhammad Ali, Planetary Unknown
Darius Jones Trio, Big Gurl (Smell My Dream)
David S. Ware, Organica (solo saxophones, volume 2)

James Falzone

KLANG, Other Doors (Allos Documents)

Mary Halvorson

Weasel Walter/Mary Halvorson/Peter Evans, Electric Fruit (Thirsty Ear)
Mary Halvorson & Jessica Pavone, Departure of Reason (Thirsty Ear)
Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet, Apparent Distance (Firehouse 12 Records)
The Thirteenth Assembly, Station Direct (Important Records)

Eric Hofbauer

Eric Hofbauer & The Infrared Band, LEVEL (Creative Nation Music)

Playscape Recordings

Ted Rosenthal Trio, Out Of This World

Fay Victor

Other Dimensions In Music Featuring Fay Victor, Kaiso Stories (Silkheart)

More news about 2012 releases coming soon!

Photo: Peter Gannushkin

Tonight at 9:00 p.m., alto saxophonist/composer Darius Jones will conclude his four-week residency at Ibeam in Brooklyn.

Jones and his trio, featuring bassist Adam Lane and drummer Jason Nazary, are celebrating their new AUM Fidelity release, Big Gurl (Smell My Dream).

“A powerhouse saxophonist with an unusually focused perspective, Darius Jones laces his urgent avant-jazz vision with deep soul and dirty funk,” declares Time Out New York in its preview of these Thursday night performances.

Critics have described Big Gurl as ”a series of stories that burns hot with emotional conviction and technical invention” (Jason Bivins, Dusted), “as fresh on the 15th listen as on the first” (Jeff Stockton, New York City Jazz Record), “a notable addition to Jones’ impressive discography” (Kevin Le Gendre, BBC) and “THE jazz record of the year across the board” (François Couture, Monsieur Délire).

“Fulfilling (and exceeding) expectations,” adds AllAboutJazz.com’s Troy Collins, “Big Gurl (Smell My Dream) is a rightfully compelling follow-up to his stunning debut. With another installment already in the works, Jones has set the stage for a winning series of albums designed to document his rise as one of the most impressive and unique voices of our time.”

Learn more about Darius Jones and his AUM Fidelity releases at http://www.aumfidelity.com/darius_jones.html

Photo: Peter Gannushkin

Tonight at 9:00 p.m., alto saxophonist/composer Darius Jones and his trio, featuring bassist Adam Lane and drummer Jason Nazary, continues its four-week residency at the newly renovated Ibeam in Brooklyn.

The group is celebrating its new AUM Fidelity release, Big Gurl (Smell My Dream), which features the second chapter of the ongoing autobiographical series of original compositions he introduced on his widely acclaimed 2009 debut, Man’ish Boy (A Raw & Beautiful Thing).

“A powerhouse saxophonist with an unusually focused perspective, Darius Jones laces his urgent avant-jazz vision with deep soul and dirty funk,” writes Time Out New York in its preview of this four-week run of Thursday night performances.

Critics have called Big Gurl ”a series of stories that burns hot with emotional conviction and technical invention” (Jason Bivins, Dusted), “as fresh on the 15th listen as on the first” (Jeff Stockton, New York City Jazz Record), ”a notable addition to Jones’ impressive discography” (Kevin Le Gendre, BBC) and “THE jazz record of the year across the board” (François Couture, Monsieur Délire).

“Fulfilling (and exceeding) expectations,” adds AllAboutJazz.com’s Troy Collins, “Big Gurl (Smell My Dream) is a rightfully compelling follow-up to his stunning debut. With another installment already in the works, Jones has set the stage for a winning series of albums designed to document his rise as one of the most impressive and unique voices of our time.”

Learn more about Darius Jones and his AUM Fidelity releases at http://www.aumfidelity.com/darius_jones.html

Photo: Peter Gannushkin

Tonight at 9:00 p.m., alto saxophonist/composer Darius Jones continues his four-week residency at the newly renovated Ibeam in Brooklyn.

He’s celebrating his latest AUM Fidelity release, Big Gurl (Smell My Dream), with four consecutive Thursday night performances through November 10th.

Doors open at 8:30 p.m. and admission is $10.

“Sparked by the sonically unpredictable alto saxophone of New York-based composer Jones,” writes JazzTimes reviewer Carlo Wolff, “this tight-knit group knows its way around free-form jazz, funk, even metal—check how drummer Jason Nazary evokes John Bonham on ‘Ol Metal-Faced Bastard.’ Still, this music swings on a foundation of the blues, with Jones’ smears and mild vibrato underlining its vocal quality. Jones can keen, weep, caress—and cut, too. And no matter how abrasive he becomes—parts of ‘Chasing the Ghost’ and ‘E-Gaz’ are defiantly in your face—he convinces. This warm CD sobs and challenges.”

“Fulfilling (and exceeding) expectations,” explains AllAboutJazz.com’s Troy Collins, “Big Gurl (Smell My Dream) is a rightfully compelling follow-up to his stunning debut. With another installment already in the works, Jones has set the stage for a winning series of albums designed to document his rise as one of the most impressive and unique voices of our time.”

Dusted‘s Jason Bivins adds, “Big Gurl is another superb effort from Jones, who is taking a mix of top-shelf ingredients and making them over in his own language. And it’s righteous fun, lest we forget that challenging jazz can hit these buttons, too.”

Learn more about Darius Jones and his AUM Fidelity releases at http://www.aumfidelity.com/darius_jones.html

Carlo Wolff reviews the Darius Jones Trio’s new AUM Fidelity release, Big Gurl (Smell My Dream), in the November issue of JazzTimes.

“Sparked by the sonically unpredictable alto saxophone of New York-based composer Jones,” Wolff writes, “this tight-knit group knows its way around free-form jazz, funk, even metal—check how drummer Jason Nazary evokes John Bonham on ‘Ol Metal-Faced Bastard.’ Still, this music swings on a foundation of the blues, with Jones’ smears and mild vibrato underlining its vocal quality. Jones can keen, weep, caress—and cut, too. And no matter how abrasive he becomes—parts of ‘Chasing the Ghost’ and ‘E-Gaz’ are defiantly in your face—he convinces. This warm CD sobs and challenges.”

Learn more about Darius Jones, who is in residence at the newly renovated Ibeam in Brooklyn the next three Thursday nights, at http://www.aumfidelity.com/darius_jones.html

Photo: Peter Gannushkin

Tonight at 9:00 p.m., alto saxophonist/composer Darius Jones will kick-off his four-week residency at the newly renovated Ibeam in Brooklyn.

He’s celebrating his latest AUM Fidelity release, Big Gurl (Smell My Dream), with four consecutive Thursday night performances through November 10th.

Doors open at 8:30 p.m. and admission is $10.

“Big Gurl (Smell My Dream) continues the sonic tone poem of my life,” Jones explains, referring to his ongoing “Man’ish Boy” series of compositions introduced on his acclaimed 2009 debut of the same name. “It captures that mystical moment when I fell in love with music for the first time so completely. It delves deeper into the concept of developing organically without the awareness of boundaries. It expresses my love for underground hip-hop, soul, gospel, jazz, blues, rock and all things funky. Soul Power!”

This diverse series of pieces was written for Jones’ working trio, featuring bassist Adam Lane and drummer Jason Nazary, which has been his primary outlet as a composer/bandleader for the past three years. The group was first heard on record in 2009 thanks to a special foreshadowing bonus track on Man’ish Boy, and has since performed at such notable venues as the Earshot Jazz Festival, Undead Jazzfest and the Vision Festival.

“Once again drawing on his Southern roots for inspiration,” writes AllAboutJazz.com reviewer Troy Collins, “Jones revels in a program that runs the gamut from tender balladry to testimonial fervor—with a penchant for all things funky underscoring the date. Fulfilling (and exceeding) expectations, Big Gurl (Smell My Dream) is a rightfully compelling follow-up to his stunning debut. With another installment already in the works, Jones has set the stage for a winning series of albums designed to document his rise as one of the most impressive and unique voices of our time.”

Dusted‘s Jason Bivins adds, “Big Gurl is a series of stories that burns hot with emotional conviction and technical invention…another superb effort from Jones, who is taking a mix of top-shelf ingredients and making them over in his own language. And it’s righteous fun, lest we forget that challenging jazz can hit these buttons, too.”

A two-time nominee for Up & Coming Artist of the Year at the Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards, Jones is a musician on the rise thanks to a string of diverse AUM Fidelity recordings, including Cosmic Lieder, an intergenerational partnership with pianist Matthew Shipp, which came out earlier this year.

“Jones speaks through his alto in an original and unforced language,” writes DownBeat‘s Joe Tangari. Critics have called him “robustly creative” (Nate Chinen, New York Times), “one of NYC’s most incisive and passionate saxists” (Time Out New York) and “an up-and-coming virtuoso with big plans on the horizon” (John Garratt, PopMatters.com).

Learn more about Darius Jones and his AUM Fidelity releases at http://www.aumfidelity.com/darius_jones.html