Darius Jones (saxophonist)

Jones was born in Virginia and graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies in 2003.{{cite web |title=Composer Colloquium: Darius Jones |url=https://www.princeton.edu/events/2023/composer-colloquium-darius-jones |website=Princeton University |access-date=9 July 2024}}

Jones moved to New York City in 2005. In 2008, he was awarded a Van Lier Fellowship{{cite web |title=Darius Jones |url=https://roulette.org/event/darius-jones-5/ |website=Roulette |access-date=9 July 2024}} and earned a Master of Arts in Jazz Performance/Composition from New York University.{{cite magazine |last=Layman |first=Will |date=Oct 21, 2015 |title=Darius Jones, Jazz Bohemian |url=https://www.popmatters.com/darius-jones-jazz-bohemian-2495479223.html |magazine=PopMatters |location= |publisher= |access-date=Dec 31, 2023}} He received the French-American Jazz Exchange Award in 2013{{cite web |title=Jazz & New Music 2005-2018 Grantees |url=https://face-foundation.org/artistic-funds/jazz-new-music/jazz-grantees-2005-2018/ |website=FACE Foundation |access-date=9 July 2024}} and a Jerome Foundation Commission in 2014.{{cite web |title=Darius Jones: For The People |url=https://roulette.org/event/darius-jones-for-the-people/ |website=Roulette |access-date=9 July 2024}}

Jones taught saxophone and improvisation at Columbia University in 2017. The following year, Jones received a Harvard University Fromm Music Foundation commission{{cite web |title=Darius Jones |url=https://frommfoundation.fas.harvard.edu/people/darius-jones |website=Fromm Music Foundation |access-date=9 July 2024}} and joined the faculty at The New School, where he taught in the College of Performing Arts and Contemporary Music.{{cite web |url=https://www.newschool.edu/performing-arts/faculty/darius-jones/ |title=College of Performing Arts Faculty: Darius Jones |last= |first= |date= |website=www.newschool.edu/performing-arts/faculty/darius-jones/|publisher= |access-date=Dec 31, 2023 |quote=}}

Jones has presented and performed major compositional works throughout the United States and Canada, including during Western Front residencies in Vancouver in 2019 and 2022.{{cite web |title=Darius Jones in Residence |url=https://westernfront.ca/archives/get/ca_occurrences/1714 |website=Western Front |access-date=9 July 2024}} Jones was the inaugural Artist-in-Residence and curator for the 2022 MATA Festival.{{cite web |url=https://www.matafestival.org/news/darius-jones-named-2021-22-artist-in-residence-b4c96 |title=Announcing MATA's 2022-23 Artist-in-Residence |last= |first= |date= 25 August 2022|website=www.matafestival.org|publisher= |access-date=Dec 31, 2023 |quote=}}

In 2024, Jones was announced as incoming Assistant Professor of Music at Wesleyan University.

Jones' musical collaborations include performing with Matthew Shipp, the quartet Grass Roots, and the punk-jazz quartet Little Women.[http://www.villagevoice.com/music/qanda-darius-jones-on-the-man-ish-boy-epic-being-called-punk-jazz-and-aum-fidelitys-15th-anniversary-6646084 Darius Jones on the Man'ish Boy Epic, Being Called "Punk-Jazz," and AUM Fidelity's 15TH Anniversary] at The Village Voice Jones has composed for and worked on projects in new music, contemporary and avant-garde jazz groups, chamber ensembles, modern dance performance and multi-media.[http://rollingout.com/2014/03/07/saxophonist-darius-jones-explains-jazz-far-dead/ Saxophonist Darius Jones explains why jazz is far from dead] at rollingout

Notable releases include Man'ish Boy (A Raw & Beautiful Thing), his debut album as a leader (AUM Fidelity, 2009);{{cite magazine |last=Freeman |first=Phil |date=June 19, 2020 |title=The Month In Jazz – June 2020 |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2088400/the-month-in-jazz-june-2020/columns/ugly-beauty/ |magazine=Stereogum |location= |publisher= |access-date=Dec 31, 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/manish-boy-a-raw-and-beautiful-thing-darius-jones-aum-fidelity-review-by-troy-collins/|title=Darius Jones Trio: Man'ish Boy (A Raw & Beautiful Thing) album review @ All About Jazz|first=All About|last=Jazz|date=September 12, 2009|website=All About Jazz}} Big Gurl (Smell My Dream) (AUM Fidelity, 2011); Raw Demoon Alchemy (a lone operation), his first solo saxophone project (Northern Spy Records, 2021); and the four track LP fLuXkit Vancouver (-i-t-s- suite but sacred), co-released in 2023 by Northern Spy Records and WeJazz.{{Cite web|url=http://www.youandthemusic.com/2023/09/review-darius-jones-fluxkit-vancouver.html|title=Review: Darius Jones - fLuXkit Vancouver (i̶t̶s̶ suite but sacred) (Northern Spy / We Jazz Record)}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.dariusjonesmusic.com/ Official site]
• [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/darius-jones-from-johnny-hodges-to-noise-jazz-darius-jones-by-aaj-staff.php Darius Jones: From Johnny Hodges to Noise Jazz] at All About Jazz
• [http://www.allmusic.com/artist/darius-jones-mn0001990527/credits All Music Guide list of recording credits]
• [https://www.newschool.edu/performing-arts/faculty/darius-jones/ The New School College of Performing Arts Faculty: Darius Jones]

{{Darius Jones (saxophonist)}}

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Category:American jazz saxophonists

Category:American male saxophonists

Category:1978 births

Category:Living people

Category:Place of birth missing (living people)

Category:Virginia Commonwealth University alumni

Category:New York University alumni

Category:21st-century American saxophonists

Category:Jazz musicians from Virginia

Category:21st-century American male musicians

Category:American male jazz musicians

Category:AUM Fidelity artists