Mimi Jones

Tapping Into the Roots

Traditionally the bass is the bedrock of Jazz. Rooted in the foundation of keeping time, the bass anchors how bands navigate the intricacies and demands of Jazz. Similarly, bassists innovative as instrumentalists, composers, arrangers and band leaders, acutely aware of their particular vantage point for re-imagining the future of Jazz.

Understanding this, Mimi Jones has honed her craft combining a variety of musical influences, incorporating R&B, funk, soul, pop, rock, world and Jazz into many of the projects she’s cultivated throughout her career. Captivating, courageous, curious by nature, Jones unpacks a multitude of ideas with a flair that can sound like bursting into a room filled with a musical conversation between Christian McBride, Joni Mitchell, and Meshell Ndegeocello.

Jones’ talents range from harnessing the open, unstructured nature of the avant garde, to honoring a profound love for hard bop, all while adding her voice to tailor the inquisitive nature of her playing, and the varied subject matter she applies it too. Excelling at telling stories with her complex compositional style, Jones uses a fluid dynamic range where her playing and voice sharpen the narration of the topics she’s exploring.

In such capable hands, albums like Feet In The Mud explores the trauma soldiers experience, the sacred state of being grateful, and what makes up the essential qualities of being an American. Within this form of “investigative musicality,” her work leans into a rich variety of influences, genres, cultural traditions, as well as the meticulous work of the instrumentalists she collaborates with.

Utilize time, space, and at times even silence, Jones gracefully wields her instrument’s rich tone and vocal appeal, moving through challenging material that begs repeat listening. Great work lingers with open ended questions that echo in the mind. Mining those questions, Mimi Jones has polished her compositions into brilliant gemstones that glisten with the light she’s shedding on a wide range of topics that elegantly comprise her contributions to Jazz.