JW-Jones Sonic Departures

JW-Jones
Sonic Departures
Solid Blues Records

I have been a fan of JW Jones since his 2004 recording "My Kind of Evil." I have watched his career progress and enjoyed other recordings by him. He was honored as the Best Guitarist at the 2020 International Blues Challenge, where the trio he was part of, Horojo Trio, was the 1st Place Band. Unfortunately, he won this right before the Covid-19 pandemic prevented him from touring to develop his career further. "Sonic Departures" is his latest and is a strong enough recording to be of interest despite his inability, due to the pandemic, to perform and tour to promote it.

Playing on this recording is his touring band of Will Laurin (drums/vocals) and Jacob Clarke (bass/vocals), along with longtime band-mate Jesse Whiteley on keyboards and horn charts. Kaz Kazanoff also contributed a couple of big band arrangements for the 13 piece horn section on this recording. In part, the album gets its title from Jones's additional tracking of vocals, guitars, and studio effects. He contributed three originals and six covers.

Jones has a very appealing voice in a pop sort of manner. He sings with a straight, attractive, and melodic approach. If he had been performing some 60 years ago, he might have well been a teen star in the vein of Dion. I don't say this as criticism as his tuneful, on-pitch singing and delivery of his originals like the opening "Blue Jean Jacket" and "Ain't Going To Beg" are substantial efforts that have the bonus of his stunning guitar. His craftsmanship, skill, and imagination lead to some very solos that build with fiery intensity.

The covers here include a spirited rendition of a very funky take of a lesser know Albert King recording, "Drying on Dry Land," with the horns adding color to his impassioned vocal. There is wonderfully played cover of Guitar Slim's "Things I Used To Do," along with Clarence Carter's southern soul classic "Snatching' It Back" with some judicious use of studio effects. One standout track is a swinging big band reworking of the Everly Brothers' "Bye Bye Love" that suggests Jones could cut it as a crooner. Whitely has a choice chorus on the piano here. There also is a swinging rendition of Buddy Johnson's "It's Obdacious," with a booting tenor sax solo.

There might be some studio tricks that are departures from JW-Jones prior recordings, but there is no departure from the high level of Jones' music on this outstanding recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is a promo video for this recording.

JW Jones' Solid Blues

Another older review. This review from 2004 is of a marvelous Canadian bluesman, JW Jones. The review appeared in the September-October 2004 Jazz & Blues Report although I have made minor changes. I have previously blogged about his last recording, http://inabluemood.blogspot.com/2010/09/jw-jones-no-longer-prodigy.html. He has a new CD coming out called Seventh Hour. He is using the release of this CD in part to raise money to help battle Cystic Fibrosis. Here is the link to help fund this release and help the fight against Cystic Fibrosis. http://www.indiegogo.com/JW-Jones-New-CD-and-donation-to-Cystic-Fibrosis

Canadian JW Jones' Northern Blues release, My Kind of Evil perhaps shows how International the blues has become. Kim Wilson who helped produce and guests on several tracks is among those who mentored the Ottawa-based Jones who has developed into a solid guitarist with a disc reminiscent of efforts coming from several West Coast artists, although this is a band with a full-horn session and not led by a harmonica player.

Wilson himself has two fine vocals on Willie Mabon's I Don't Know and the Smiley Lewis classic, Blue Monday, while Colin James sings on What You Do to Me and You Got Me (Where You Want Me). Jones himself shows he has learned his lessons well with B.B. King, Johnny Guitar Watson, Ike Turner and others being detectable influences as he opens with a rocking original Shake That Mess with a nice groove and hot guitar. With James singing Johnny Watson's What You Do to Me, Jones plays a homage to Watson's early twisted guitar stylings set against a hot New Orleans rhumba groove.

Jones also has really developed as a vocalist as shown on several tracks here. A couple of instrumentals also display Jones skill and thoughtful playing and given his growth as a vocalist, choice covers and solid original material and first-rate studio band, J.W. Jones has produced a fine recording.

Here is JW Jones performing.

JW-Jones No Longer Prodigy

Canadian blues artist JW-Jones continues to mature as a performer and his latest CD, “Midnight Memphis Sun” (Ruf), certainly will enhance his reputation as it shows his maturation as a vocalist in addition to his continual development as a guitarist. The promise of his earliest recordings, that displayed some awkwardness as a vocalist, was shown to reached fruition in his previous CD, “Blueslisted.” The present CD title refers to the fact this was recorded in Memphis at the Sun Studios. It is a robust collection of blues with jump blues and Memphis soul strains integrally mixed in the material. Jones also has special guests Hubert Sumlin and Charlie Musselwhite, who each lend their talents to three tracks each.


A Memphis soul groove (riff suggestive of “Midnight Hour”) is evident for the opening “Off The Market," which is followed by a jumping rendition of a lesser known Lowell Fulson number, “Love Grows Cold.” Both performances display his solid singing and slashing guitar with echoes of Ike Turner’s use of the whammy bar on the latter. Jones' playing is both thoughtful and passionate. With Musselwhite’s harp added to “Kissin’ in Memphis,” Jones delivers, in a low-key fashion, a lyrical homage to some of the musical greats that painted Memphis blue in the fifties through seventies. The driving ”Cuts Like a Knife,” comes from Bryan Adams. Here Jones sings about how his women threw things away with plenty of strong guitar as well as nice organ from Jesse Whitely. “Born Operator” with Hubert Sumlin, is about a shady character who ran Ponzi scheme and stole other folks dreams. The performance has musical echoes of Magic Sam, evident in Jones playing that contrasts with Sumlin’s sizzling single note work.


Musselwhite returns behind Jones’ easy vocal on Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry’s “Burnt Child.” In contrast, Jones’ rendition of Jimmy Reed’s “I Don’t Go For That,” has rollicking piano and jumping rhythm from Larry Taylor on bass and Richard Innes on drums, and is far removed from Reed’s lazy style. It is a storming Chicago blues stomp with Jones fleet single note solo echoing some of the Memphis greats from the early 50s before Musselwhite’s explosive harp solo showcasing Musselwhite's fat tone. Jones’ “Mean Streak,” mixes his menacing guitar sound with the spare backing from Taylor and Innes to evoke some of the doomy recordings that James Reed and Johnny Fuller recorded for Bay Area blues producer Bob Geddins. Jones may not be quite up to the level of those giants as a singer, but this splendid performance shows how he knows how to build atmosphere in his performances and knows that loud and frantic vocals and playing simply are no replacement for thoughtful, yet passionate performances. “Howlin’ With Hubert” is a nice instrumental shuffle with Jones and Sumlin trade solos. 


Sumlin also guests on the closing track, “Games,” with its driving, churning groove and after Sumlin’s solo, Jones enters, basing his solo on “Got My Mojo Working” and adding some Freddie King riffs here. It is another display of Jones growth from a blues prodigy to a seasoned veteran whose music makes blues fans of all stripes take notice. It is a solid ending to yet another first-rate recording by JW-Jones.




This review first appeared in Issue 329 of Jazz & Blues Report (September 2010), and I have made some stylistic changes for the blog. The review copy was provided by the publicity firm for Ruf Records.