For more than two decades she&rsquo\;s bee
n on the scene\, bassist/vocalist/producer/label owner
and now filmma
ker Mimi Jones has reigned supreme\, as a side woman to an impressive
coterie of musicians and as a leader with three original recording projec
ts on her own Hot
Tone Music label.
The jazz world is happy that
Mimi Jones is on the scene. Born Miriam Sullivan in New
York City on
March 25\, 1972\, and was raised in the Bronx.
Jones studied classic
ally under the tutelage of Linda McKnight and simultaneously studied
at the Jazz mobile school on Saturday mornings with bassist Lisle Atkinson
. She also
studied with jazz masters such as Barry Harris\, Ron Carte
r\, Milt Hinton\, Dr. Billy
Taylor\, Yusef Lateef\, Max Roach\, Maria
Schneider\, and bassist Guillermo Edgehill.
As
a Jazz Ambassad
or\, Mimi toured Africa\, Europe\, Russia\, China\, South and Central
America\, and the Caribbean for the U.S. State Department. Her vast work
as a sidewoman
includes gigs with Kenny Barron\, Lizz Wright\, Beyonc
e\, Dianne Reeves\, Tia Fuller\,
Ingrid Jensen\, Roy Hargrove\, Dee D
ee Bridgewater\, Nona Hendricks\, Marc Cary\,
Rachel Z\, Sean Jones\,
Jason Moran\, Ravi Coltrane\, Ralph Peterson\, and Terri Lyne
Carrin
gton&rsquo\;s Grammy Award winning Mosaic Project.
Jones launched her
own record label\, Hot Tone Music\, in 2009 which now has produced
n
ine albums thus far.
In addition\, Mimi Jones co-directs with ArcoIri
s Sandoval\, The D.O.M.E. Experience\, a
multimedia project that is m
eant to inspire its audience to become aware of environmental
and soc
ial issues\, within the community and globally\, by original compositions
performed
by a 20 piece jazz orchestra\, dance and cinematography. Th
is project has been awarded the
following awards:
New Music USA
Award\, Bronx Council on the Arts Award
C.E.R.N. (Citizens Emergency
Response Network) Award
The Bronx Museum Commission and Residency
Casita Maria for Arts and Education Commission and Residency Puffin Foun
dation Award
Pregones Theater Commission and Residency
Shape Shi
fter Commission and Residency
Bronx Heritage Center Commission and Re
sidence
Mimi also created an original mini musical production about t
he great migration and
Harlem renaissance\, with a cast of seven enti
tled &ldquo\;Next Stop Harlem&rdquo\;.
Mimi Jones was voted rising st
ar by the DownBeat polls for 4 years straight\, receiving
received #1
rising star award by the DownBeat Polls in 2018. Mimi&rsquo\;s article on
beats and
rhythm was featured in the DownBeat Magazine as part of th
e &ldquo\;Woodshed&rdquo\; section of the
publication.
Pre-pande
mic Jones began developing a fresh project called The Black Madonna\, feat
uring
strings instruments\, percussion\, voice\, with hopes of record
ing new music later in early
2023.
In Sept 2018\, Mimi Jones beg
an her tutelage at the Berklee School of Music in Boston\,
MA\, as a
new professor.
Jones returned to Purchase University for the third ye
ar as part of the faculty for Carnegie
Hall Foundation\, NYO summer 2
020 program led by Joanna Massey and Sean Jones.
This prestigious pro
gram selects the best players in the nation\, from 16-19 years of age toexperience a rigorous musical training\, immediately followed by a per
formance at Carnegie
Hall and an extravagant tour throughout Europe.<
br />Mimi Jones has recently recorded and performed with: The American Ope
ra Project and
Between the World and Me HBO Special (Kamilah Forbes\,
Ta-Nehisi Coates\, Jason
Moran\, Nate Smith\, Ledisi\, Common\, Ange
la Bassett)\, The Leap Day Trio &ldquo\;Live at the
Bohemia Caf&eacut
e\;&rdquo\; including renowned drummer Matt Wilson and musical Jeff Ledere
r on
sax and Nite bjuti which was signed by Whirlwind Recordings in O
ctober 2022. The music
industry was hit by storm in 2019 with the inc
eption of Nite Bjuti an experimental music
trio feature Candice Hoyes
on voice\, Val Jeanty as sound chemist and Mimi Jones on bass.
The g
reat drummer/producer/composer/innovator Terri Lyne Carrington published a
book labeled as New Standards 101 Lead Sheets by Women which include
s one of Mimi&rsquo\;s
compositions entitled One 4 JB in October 2022
.
Jones continues to host her infamous &ldquo\;inclusive&rdquo\;\, we
ekly community jam session &ldquo\;The Lab
Session Jam and Jazz Party
&rdquo\; every Sunday at &ldquo\;Room 623&rdquo\; in Harlem.
Four tim
es per year\, a recent creation of Ms. Jones called the Rising Stars serie
s occurs where
Mimi mentor college students in best ways to have a su
ccessful gig\, from\, booking\, choosing
music\, creating a contract\
, pr/advertising\, attire\, speaking to your audience\, etc. So far she ha
s
chosen groups from Berklee College of Music to Peabody\, Julliard\,
Manhattan School of Music
to participate and play a live gig in. NYC
.
Parking \;is free \;after 6:00 pm in the adjacent parkin g lot and on the street.
\n\nThis event was made possible wit h a grant from The Greater Hartford Arts Council
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