Search - Mike Jones :: Oh Look at Me Now

Smarter than the Average Rap reviewer...as is the album..

Cathe Jones | Las Vegas, NV | 08/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although some people have no clue that there isn't just ONE Mike Jones, it seems that they have the need to bash one of the most sought after jazz pianists in the country for not being a 20 year old black rapper from the south. That's not only stupid, but it misinforms and insults those who actually KNOW about THIS Mike Jones, a Berklee trained jazz impresario who opens for Penn and Teller in their Vegas show.



This album produced 12 years ago, under Chiaroscuro Records, gave an inkling as to what the boy from Buffalo would do in upcoming albums and performances. With the masterful sound, comparable to Art Tatum, Dave McKenna, and Oscar Peterson, Jones not only takes on the classics, but interprets them masterfully. Each rendition teases the listener into thinking there must be more than one musician on the tracks, when in fact, it's just the left-hand swing and cadence triumphantly breaking out as easily as the melodic right hand's elegance and grace.



No one can touch Mike Jones as far as laying down tracks that even Tony Bennett decided was worth leaving his dinner early to hear. He's played on Jazz Cruises on the QE2, the Norway, and now as opener with Penn Jillette for the Penn and Teller show, he's able to bring his unique sound to thousands of people each week, who are grateful to know Jazz has not been lost. (...)THIS Mike Jones IS the real jazz deal, and one hell of a musician."