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Ron Jones,
A Vision of Beauty
By Frank Rubolino
Cadence Magazine, August 1998
One Step Up/Sail Away/Cheek to Cheek/Spring can Really Hang You Up the
Most/You Don’t Know What Love Is/Ballad Medley: Try Little Tenderness - Lush Life/A
Vision of Beauty/Black Nile/One for Julian/A Child is Born/The Eternal Triangle.
For his first recording, Jones did all the research and jobs necessary
to issue an album from production to musical execution to distribution. The result is a
straight-ahead presentation of Jazz performed with a talented group of musicians who have
known or been associated with Jones for some time. Jones mainly concentrates on the alto,
and the brand of Jazz his band generates is typically upbeat and swinging. He is a lyrical
player who has a smooth tone that flies high whether he is playing a fast paced tune or a
ballad.
Jones mixes the tune selection effectively, interspersing standards and
Jazz classics around his three original tunes. The band is very compatible with the style
of music selected by Jones. Pianist Williams shows up well as both an accompanist and
soloist. With Jones using the quartet format throughout, Williams gets ample opportunity
to expound. His solo on "Lush Life" is a good example of his style that stays in
bounds yet has an inventive side to it. Wheeler and O'Mahoney are also a good fit for the
group. Although not featured often, they provide a solid backdrop for all tunes.
The recording, however, is about Jones, and he is the centerpiece on
all selections. His tone is clear and concise, generally showing a lighthearted sense of
time and phrasing. This buoyant spirit is pervasive throughout the long set, where the
blithe side to his playing meshes with a strong musical vocabulary to provide a solid
outing.
Jones exhibits a lot of polish on his first album. His selection of
musicians was equally good, and the band plays with much enthusiasm. They manage to travel
an often-used road in Jazz without making the journey seem tiresome or hackneyed.
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