RVANews

Crossroads – Brian Jones “Redhead”

Aaron Williams — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:00:04 +0000

A few weeks ago, Selba was the center of attention for their ever expanding lineup of jazz. This week, Crossroads is the focus. Crossroads has been hosting live music for a long time, but recently their lineup has had some of the best jazz in Richmond.

Crossroads Coffee and Ice Cream
3600 Forest Hill Avenue, Richmond, Va. 23225

Located South of the James River on Forest Hill Ave., the coffee shop offers a unique family experience for listeners and musicians alike. Instead of being a dark club with late start times, it is easy to stop by Crossroads with the family for music at 7pm. While they still have an extensive selection of beer, their menu extends beyond standard bar fare and they even have a large selection of ice cream and desserts.

Wednesday night, drummer Brian Jones teamed up with saxophonist J.C. Kuhl, trumpeter John D'earth and bassist Randall Pharr to perform music from Jones' album "Redhead" and some jazz standards.

The chemistry between these four musicians was remarkable. Kuhl and Jones spent five years on tour with Agents of Good Roots and Kuhl and D'earth play weekly at Miller's in Charlottesville. Pharr and Jones have recorded countless records and have shared the stage with a frightening variety musicians. As a combo, they had a remarkable ability to read each other's minds while at the same time constantly surprising each other.

Richmond's healthy music scene can be enjoyed in a variety of ways, at different times and in different environments. More options enable more people to enjoy the music which is better for the scene and it will be interesting to see where the next spot is.

Next Wednesday night, JC Kuhl returns with Beerded Ladeez. 3/4ths of the band Modern Groove Syndicate, Beerded Ladeez explores new territory as a trio. Kuhl shreds tenor and baritone saxophone as Todd Herrington plays bass creating countless layers of sound and Joel Denunzio lays down funky beats. They will be joined by Trey Pollard on guitar and pedal steel guitar.

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Brian Jones – two nights, five sets

Aaron Williams — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 07:26:42 +0000

Drummer and composer Brian Jones is undoubtedly one of the most prolific and orignal musicians in Richmond, VA. Tuesday and Wednesday, two of his groups took the stage to perform five different sets.

Tuesday night, The Brian Jones Quartet performed original compositions and improvisations to classic episodes of Tom and Jerry. A younger crowd enjoyed the 7pm set while a nostalgic crowd enjoyed the 9pm set. All music aside, the Tom and Jerry cartoons are timeless and enjoyable for all ages. The addition of live music by Jones, Reggie Pace, Marcus Tenney and Randall Pharr is an incredible and unique experience.

Click for Tom and Jerry youtube videos.

Trombonist Reggie Pace was particularly inspiring. His wide palette of effects and sounds effectively emulated the full orchestra that recorded the original Tom and Jerry music. Despite this responsibility, he constantly found ways to manipulate the mood of the room alongside the other three musicians.

The quartet closed the night by playing tunes to old short films.

Wednesday night, the Brian Jones Wurlitzer Trio played two exhilerating sets at Balliceaux. Joined by Daniel Clarke (wurlitzer) and Randall Pharr (bass), the trio performed music exclusively from their two records A.M. Thrift and Drug Piano. Seeing Clarke was a rare treat as he is usually on tour with Mandy Moore or K.D. Lang. The bottom line, the rhythms eminating from the stage were brilliant and infectious .

Listen The Brian Jones Wurlitzer Trio:
[audio:http://media.rvanews.com/BJWT1.mp3 |titles=unknown|artists=Brian Jones Wurlitzer Trio]
[audio:http://media.rvanews.com/BJWT2.mp3 |titles=unknown|artists=Brian Jones Wurlitzer Trio]
[audio:http://media.rvanews.com/BJWT3.mp3 |titles=unknown|artists=Brian Jones Wurlitzer Trio]
[audio:http://media.rvanews.com/BJWT4.mp3 |titles=unknown|artists=Brian Jones Wurlitzer Trio]

Main image by Lauren Serpa.

Listening back: Brian Jones (Set 2)

Aaron Williams — Wed, 25 May 2011 10:00:11 +0000

In Listening Back, we chronicle the happenings at The Camel’s free weekly jazz series on Tuesday nights. Be there if you can.
After a bit of a break, listening back has returned. In an effort to catch up, a new set will be released every day until the vaults are empty. On this recording, drummer Brian Jones hosts a Richmond reunion. Guitarist Sean Moran (check out the story here), guitarist Adam Larrabee and bassist Randall Pharr relive late 90's chemistry while exploring new tunes and a few covers on this memorable set.

Listen to Brian Jones' second set:
[audio:http://media.rvanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Brian-Jones-@-The-Camel-set-2-04.26.11.mp3|titles=Brian Jones, Sean Moran, Adam Larrabee and Randall Pharr|artists=Brian Jones]

Check back tomorrow for another great set from The Camel and keep checking back everyday until we empty the vault.

Listening back: Brian Jones

Aaron Williams — Tue, 24 May 2011 10:00:53 +0000

In Listening Back, we chronicle the happenings at The Camel’s free weekly jazz series on Tuesday nights. Be there if you can.
After a bit of a break, listening back has returned. In an effort to catch up, a new set will be released every day until the vaults are empty. On this recording, drummer Brian Jones hosts a Richmond reunion. Guitarist Sean Moran (check out the story here), guitarist Adam Larrabee and bassist Randall Pharr relive late 90's chemistry while exploring new tunes and a few covers on this memorable set.

Listen to Brian Jones' first set:
[audio:http://media.rvanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Brian-Jones-@-The-Camel-04.26.11.mp3|titles=Brian Jones, Sean Moran, Adam Larrabee and Randall Pharr|artists=Brian Jones]

Check back tomorrow for more Brian Jones and keep checking back everyday until we empty the vault.

Richmond reuinion

Aaron Williams — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:00:11 +0000

Richmonders know the talents of Brian Jones, Adam Larrabee and Randall Pharr, but in the 1990’s there was a fourth musician that explored original compositions, developed a sound and performed with them regularly. Guitarist Sean Moran lived in Richmond for five years. During his time in Richmond, he played in the Telemantra Trio alongside drummer Jones and bassist Pharr. For more than a year, they held a weekly gig at two different locations on Main Street. Even as Brian Jones left town to tour, Nate Smith (Dave Holland Quintet, Chris Potter Underground) stepped into play. Towards the end of his residency, he teamed up with Adam Larrabee in a two guitar quartet that played regularly around Richmond.

On Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, the four will reunite for the first time since Moran began studying at New York University in 1998. This weekend, the quartet will have the the opportunity to relive some of the chemistry they developed fifteen years ago while playing all new compositions.

RVAJazz: What originally brought you to Virginia Commonwealth University and what was your experience?

Sean Moran: I originally moved to Virginia to attend William and Mary, to study physics. Skip [Gailes] was teaching at William and Mary and I was playing music all of the time and I said, I am not going to be a physicist maybe I should go somewhere in Virginia to study music. Skip was also teaching at VCU and he recommended it. I was also studying with Fred Hibbert. They both recommended VCU.

That was 1994, maybe 1993.

I met Brian Jones soon after that because I knew Stewart [Myers] from Agents [of Good Roots]. He went to William and Mary for a while and told me since I was into jazz that I needed to meet his friend Brian.

RVAJazz: Can you talk about what Richmond was like in the early 90’s and what Telemantra Trio did differently?

Sean Moran: What I remember about that trio was we rehearsed a lot. Jones was touring with Agents at that point but whenever he was in town we would always get together. We’d all write music, bring it in and then rehearse it and play it on a pretty consistent basis. We also had a weekly gig. Those two elements really led to basically the development of a good band. There was also no real preconception of what the band was supposed to be. It wasn’t like: we are a jazz trio, or we are a jazz guitar trio. Whatever anybody felt like playing or writing, we would try it out and play it.

There wasn’t a lot of that going on at the time in Richmond. Back then VCU was very traditional. I’m not sure what it is like now. Most of the gigs people were doing would be standards or maybe some other lesser-known standard tunes. People wrote their own stuff too. Some of the older teachers like Skip Gailes and John D’earth and those guys, amazing musicians, but they were sort of an older generation. As far as younger guys, there was less of it.

I remember a few that were a little adventurous. This guy Woody had a band called Hotel X that was a little Frisellian. I think he was really into Zorn at the time. I think the awareness of the downtown experimental scene was very limited in general. In terms of it filtering to VCU, it was almost not at all.

RVAJazz: That’s funny because it is a little different now.

Sean Moran: You know, things change. [laughs] Back then; you couldn’t just record your gig. The whole idea of recording is just totally different. You can set up your stuff at home and have your own version of Pro Tools and buy a couple of mics and make a low budget recording that sounds pretty decent. Back then it was a lot more difficult to record your own music.

RVAJazz: Can you offer some insight as to what Brian Jones and Randall Pharr were like in the mid 90’s with the Telemantra Trio?

Sean Moran:
On Jones: I haven’t played with him for ages so I’m not sure what he is like now but he was extremely prolific, extremely creative and he could just crank out tunes. He liked to try out new things and loved to just play. I used to go play at Brian’s house all the time during the day, you know, just to play music, rehearsals were a whole different thing. At the time, it was sort of rare, just getting together to play music and write music all of the time. Brian was also just an adventurous musician. We were playing one gig with him, a recital or something, and he had Steve Kessler playing harpsichord and Howard Curtis playing timpani. At that time, not many people in Richmond were that free with their thinking.

On Pharr: Randall Pharr was older than me. When I was there, he was already one of the main called bass players. He wasn’t writing a ton but Randall was super solid, had huge ears and made you feel like you could play anything and he would be right there and help the music along. I’m sure it is the same now.

He used to have weird analogies. Sometimes he would talk about improvising like a chess game. He was really into chess. So he would talk about chess moves and how you deal with ideas as responses. That was a different way of improvising than just saying oh lets play this scale. It was a totally different practice.

RVAJazz: When you moved to New York what did you experience? How much shock was there upon your arrival?

Sean Moran: There was a lot of shock. New York is so filled with musicians in any genre and there is a lot of cross-pollination going on. I still experience it. I can play a rehearsal at a guy’s house and there is some drummer from Holland who is amazing. Who has played with all of these people who you have never met or heard of. That happens on a weekly basis. You meet people who aren’t in your circle and they are great.

You can go hear amazing Balkan music or amazing flamenco music, bongo or whatever you are into. Someone is doing it. There is an almost overwhelming amount of information in the city, which is a good thing. I find it continually inspiring.

RVAJazz: When was the last time you were in Richmond?

Sean Moran: I would come to Richmond for a few gigs right after I moved to New York, which was in 1998. Maybe that year, I would go back and forth a little bit but I haven’t been since then. I don’t really remember what I played. I am definitely looking forward to playing with Randall, Adam and Brian. I was just looking over some of Adam’s tunes and laughing because his sense of harmony is so much his and the same. I could play the tune and just know, that’s Adam’s tune. Obviously, they are more sophisticated and he is dealing with longer forms but it’s still very much him.

RVAJazz: What are you looking forward to the most about coming back to Richmond?

Sean Moran: When you play a lot together with someone, the more you become like them. You get more in tune, almost telepathic. I am sure those guys have been playing together a lot so it will be fun for me to jump into their thing.

The group will be playing:

Sunday April 24th, 7pm
Balliceaux
203 N. Lombardy
Richmond, VA 23220
$5
21+

Monday April 25th, 7:30pm-9pm
Club 216
609 East Market Street, Suite 112
Charlottesville, VA 22902
$5
ALL AGES
Sponsored by the Charlottesville Jazz Society

Tuesday April 26th, 9pm
The Camel
1621 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23220
FREE
ALL AGES
w/ special guests

May: Recording In Our Clubs Month

Dean Christesen — Wed, 26 May 2010 10:00:38 +0000

All photos and videos by Lucas Fritz

With May flowers came a couple notable club gigs in Richmond this month. Fight the Big Bull, celebrating the release of their new album, played three consecutive nights at Balliceaux. The next week, Brian Jones Quintet played two sets at his monthly gig at The Camel.

The common thread: all four nights were recorded by Minimum Wage Studios's Lance Koehler to be released as two separate albums.

Being there while a record is being made is a pretty exciting thing, and something that not a lot of jazz groups in Richmond have done lately. No BS! Brass alluded to the concept with their last studio album Alive in Richmond, but no bands in recent memory have recorded a true live album.

While we'll likely have to wait a while to hear the final product from both bands' outings, we've got photos and videos to enjoy now, courtesy of Lucas Fritz.

Fight the Big Bull at Balliceaux:

Fight the Big Bull is Matt White (guitar), Pinson Chanselle (trap kit), Cameron Ralston (bass), Jason Scott (tenor sax, clarinet), John Lilley (tenor sax), Bryan Hooten (trombone), Reggie Pace (trombone), Bob Miller (trumpet).

View the entire photo album on flickr

Brian Jones Quintet at The Camel:

Brian Jones Quintet is Brian Jones (drums), Wells Hanley (keyboard), Marcus Tenney (trumpet), J.C. Kuhl (tenor sax), and Randall Pharr (bass).

Pianist Marty McCavitt played at the bar during set break.

View the entire photo album on flickr

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryGjY6UcSFo[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpYj81IItfc[/youtube]
To see all seven videos from the evening, check out Brian Jones's new YouTube page.

Jones and company round out week at The Camel

Dean Christesen — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 03:55:52 +0000

Photos by Lucas Fritz

It was a good week for seeing jazz at The Camel. It's nothing out of the ordinary, though. Our friends at The Camel are pretty jazz-friendly, given their "we book anything" approach and your chance of seeing polar opposite bands there on two consecutive nights. Catching some solid nights of jazz several times per month at the place is a safe bet, especially because of weeks like the last seven days.*

On Saturday night, the good guys that make up Jason Ajemian & The HighLife stopped through Richmond on their tour and intrigued us with their unusual visual scores and then backed it up with incredible and original music.

The monthly VCU Jazz at The Camel series was on Wednesday, and it was (literally) a big one. The VCU Jazz Orchestras I and II made up the bill, and guests like trumpeter Rex Richardson, tenor saxophonist Skip Gailes, pianist Bob Hallahan, and drummer Brian Jones made guest appearances. Unless another surprise gig pops up, it was both Taylor Barnett's last gig directing the VCU Jazz Orchestra II and Hallahan's last performance in a VCU capacity. Both gentlemen will be starting at James Madison University in the fall, Barnett to begin his music doctorate degree and Hallahan to teach full-time.

And in between the two other nights, Brian Jones's monthly quintet gig (which began not as a gig for his quintet, but a monthly opportunity to release CDs of his various groups) hit on Tuesday night. Pianist Wells Hanley -- who was just announced last week as Hallahan's replacement as Jazz Piano Instructor at VCU -- was sounding incredible, as was the entire band completed by bassist Randall Pharr, trumpeter Marcus Tenney and saxophonist J.C. Kuhl.

Some exciting news also came out of Tuesday night: Jones announced that next month's gig on May 18 will be three full sets recorded live for a new album. That's just a week after Fight the Big Bull's three-night recording adventure at Balliceaux. May should be a good month.

Our resident photographer was there on Tuesday (well, he was there on the other nights, too) to take some photos.

View the entire photo album on flickr

*Heads up! The Camel outdoes itself next week with Ombak and Great Architect on Tuesday night, Hotel X and guests on Thursday, and No BS! Brass on Friday.

Guitar summit (but everyone’s invited)

Dean Christesen — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:42:34 +0000

Looking into an audience of mostly musicians between tunes on a Monday night in December, guitarist Alan Parker quipped something to the effect of "Welcome to the RVA jazz musician's summit." It was a pretty accurate assessment: like that one, some shows just turn out to be musician hangs with nary a casual non-musician observer in the house.

On Tuesday night at The Camel, Alan will hold a "guitar summit," and it's happening on the stage this time instead of among the audience.

In addition to his own group, Alan has invited two other guitarists -- Karl Morse and Adam Larrabee -- to lead their bands. The jazz diplomacy begins around 8:30 with Karl Morse Quartet, featuring saxophonist Jonathan Gibson, bassist Andrew Randazzo, and drummer Devonne Harris. Alan's AP Connection, which includes bassist Cameron Ralston and drummer Billy Williams, hits next. Adam Larrabee Trio featuring bassist Randall Pharr and drummer Brian Jones (the same group that was originally slated to perform at RVAJazzfest before the snow kicked in) will close the night out, beginning around 11. That group recently put out their album Money Jungle (a re-imagining of the Ellington/Mingus/Roach classic), so we might expect to hear some of those cuts.

View event details

Adam Larrabee Trio: Modern brew

Joey Ciucci — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 11:00:19 +0000

Within the ever expanding catalogue of craft beers, beyond the basic definitions of IPAs and stouts, past the scholarly examinations of hops, malts, and yeasts, there is an entry for a saison brew. This revered style originated as thrifty brewers centuries ago salvaged spoiled batches simply by mixing it with good ones. Nowadays, the process is largely the same. Obsessive craft brewers, who follow the trajectory of each batch as if it were a developing child, steel themselves and allow their product to skunk. Later, when the same recipe is properly conditioned, the funky and the fine are mixed -- the result an eloquent contradiction, subtle and biting and memorable.

The Adam Larabee Trio will tackle an equally epic and classic ferment on February 6, as part of RVAJazzfest at The Camel. The group, which boasts Larabee on guitar, Brian Jones on drums, and Randall Pharr on upright bass, will feature adaptations from the classic Duke Ellington/Charles Mingus/Max Roach album Money Jungle, as well as other standards and originals. The trio's cover of Money Jungle ranges from faithful interpretations to Frisellian soundscapes and will be available for sale at the show.

Guitarist Adam Larabee, who graciously lacks the hipper-than-thou vibe of many less-pedigreed peers, says he stays inspired and relevant by teaching. He performs on mandolin and banjo in addition to guitar, and regards those corresponding styles with the same gusto as Ellington's hollowed changes. In the always unpredictable Jones and rock-solid Pharr, he's formed a group whose reverence for the classics is tempered by a propulsive modern musicality.

Significant artists, musicians and brewers included, exist to challenge our expectations of what is unique and good and important. Ellington confronted our notions of his dapper arrangements and polished composition style, just as brewers constantly reinvent and challenge our palettes. This weekend, as the Adam Larabee Trio offers a rare discussion of this odd, challenging, tumultuous album, there is little doubt that the jazz community in Richmond will reevaluate Money Jungle in a fresh, contemporary light.

RVAJazzfest featuring Ray Anderson & Ombak, Adam Larrabee Trio, and Trio of Justice takes place on Saturday, February 6, 2010, at 9pm at The Camel, 1621 W Broad St., Richmond VA. Click here to purchase tickets.

Successful series caps the year

Dean Christesen — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:39:02 +0000

Since September, drummer Brian Jones has played The Camel on each third Thursday of the month. Since August, I have practically assaulted readers with this information on the regular. For that, I am sorry, but it's out of love and a hope that you'll check it out if you don't know anything about Jones, jazz, or its sub-genres thereof. Tuesday night is the last night of part 1 of this monthly series and to close out 2009, Brian Jones Wurlitzer Trio and Brian Jones Double Quartet are sharing the bill to release their new CDs. This, to me, is the big one, ladies and gentleman.

My first experience ever with the music of Brian Jones took place about three years ago. A pliable young musical mind sat in an art gallery (ADA Gallery) located in a still unfamiliar place (downtown Richmond) with a large and strange ensemble setting up to play (Brian Jones Double Quartet). Two drummers? Two bassists? All of these horn players! Like nothing else I had experienced before this point, my preconceptions of what was musically possible were shattered.

Rhythm section members were forced into non-traditional roles while their counterparts may have played the time-keeper (although maybe not). Drummer Brian Caputo played a radio. The two quartets didn't only work together but sometimes intentionally against each other for the sake of juxtaposition. Luckily, I bought the CD so that my favorite memories from that evening, like "Roses For Red Roses" and "Jove + Silent Mao," could live on. The CD is Fivefinger and it was released in 2004. Its follow up is being released at the show on Tuesday. This incarnation of the group includes Jones and Mike Kuhl (drums), Randall Pharr and Cameron Ralston (basses), Bob Miller (trumpet), Reggie Pace (trombone), J.C. Kuhl and Rick Rieger (saxophones and clarinets).

Listen to tracks from Fivefinger:

[audio:http://rvanews.net/sounds/Jazz/04 Roses For Red Roses.mp3|titles=Roses For Red Roses|artists=Brian Jones Double Quartet]

[audio:http://rvanews.net/sounds/Jazz/08 Jove + Silent Mao.mp3|titles=Jove + Silent Mao|artists=Brian Jones Double Quartet]

Another highly rewarding and memorable music experience that occurred early on during my time in Richmond involves Brian Jones Wurlitzer Trio. The very creative Daniel Clarke is a perfect match for Jones's open-ended compositions, and bassist Randall Pharr is cool and sturdy.

With Clarke enjoying recent stints with artists like K.D. Lang and Mandy Moore and Jones focusing on many of his other groups, the Wurlitzer Trio hasn't performed in quite a while. Their 2003 release Drug Piano remains one of my favorites in Jones's catalogue. They, too, will be releasing their new album tomorrow night. With heavily rhythmic melodies and corresponding grooves and beautiful ballads, the three are not to be outshone in intensity by the eight of the Double Quartet.

Listen to tracks from Drug Piano:

[audio:http://rvanews.net/sounds/Jazz/02 Testify.mp3|titles=Testify|artists=Brian Jones Wurlitzer Trio]

[audio:http://rvanews.net/sounds/Jazz/01 Pinchback.mp3|titles=Pinchback|artists=Brian Jones Wurlitzer Trio]

View event details

RVAjazzfest: Boots of Leather

Dean Christesen — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:28:00 +0000

Boots of Leather will perform at RVAjazzfest with Steven Bernstein, Fight the Big Bull, and Glows in the Dark on February 21, 2009, 8pm, at The Camel. Tickets are $10, all ages welcome.

by Nathan Goodwyn

Drummer Brian Jones wants to record 40 records by the time he’s 40. Last week, he turned 36. He’s done 21 records so far, so he’s got a ways to go.

But not to worry, he says.

"I'm doing a session next week with a bunch of ringers. Jesse Harper (Old School Freight Train) is singing a bunch of tunes I wrote."

He’s also working on a standards record with pianist Wells Hanley and bassist Curtis Fye.

"The idea is to look back and say, okay, in 2009, I did a standards record. It was time to do that on some level. I love playing standards."

His hunger for playing and recording music, along with obvious talent and skill, have kept Jones at the forefront of music and creativity in Richmond for almost two decades.

His life has been devoted to music. Things have worked out pretty well along the way.

Not surprisingly, Jones suggests that life on the road with Agents of Good Roots, probably the most talented rock band that Richmond has ever produced, was the thing that created openings for him in so many other musical situations.

"I was on the road all the time and was listening to music and reading books. That's basically all I would do all day."

These moments alone with his headphones led to the creation of the Velvet Underground-inspired group Boots of Leather.

"I started listening to Dave Douglas a lot. There was a period of time where jazz players were recomposing and rearranging a bunch of older music. Dave Douglas did a series of records where he did Booker Little, Wayne Shorter, maybe a few other guys. I admired what Dave was doing so much. Every record was so good, and he set such a high standard."

"As I started to put out records myself, I knew I eventually would like to try a project like [Boots of Leather]. I didn’t want to use a jazz musician as the primary source. I wanted to use a rock band as the source."

The decision to go with Velvet Underground as the inspiration for the group was logical given Jones's roots. He's a trained jazz musician but his sensibilities as a player are tied to rock.

"I grew up listening to rock: Led Zeppelin, U2, Rush, David Bowie, and others. The inspiration for [Boots of Leather] could have just as easily been Neil Young. A friend of mine loaned me a bunch of Velvet records. It was just what I happened to be listening to at the time."

Jones credits jazz for his willingness to try most anything as a musician.

"Learning how to play jazz teaches you to be very flexible," he says. "I try to approach anything I'm playing from that mindset. You try to keep an open mind. As a jazz musician your goal is to try to make it different every time. Jazz musicians are trained to do that. You could take what I did with the Velvets [and] you could do anything else."

For Jones, Boots of Leather has always been about that sense of adventure and flexibility. "It started with JC [Kuhl, saxophone] and John Sullivan, who now plays with a really successful pop group [Jack's Mannequin, an internationally-known alternative rock band based in Orange County, California]. We had a great first rehearsal together and it sounded good and developed from there. Randall Pharr is on bass now and JC is still with me."

But people may have the wrong impression about the group in an important sense.

"Sometimes the readings are more straight ahead but if people even recognized the tunes as Velvet tunes, I would be pretty surprised. People thought we were going to be a Velvet Underground cover band. The idea was to take someone else's music and rip it apart, put it back together."

The name "Boots of Leather" comes from a characteristically enigmatic Velvet lyric, "Venus in Furs," recorded on The Velvet Underground & Nico in 1966. That track in particular features John Cale on viola and Lou Reed playing a guitar on which all of the strings are tuned to the same note (an "Ostrich guitar"). What results is a sound principally based on melody and rhythm, not so much on harmony or counterpoint. The tune feels more like Ravi Shankar than rock and roll.

"The rap on the Velvets has always been that Lou Reed is a provocative lyricist and all that, but I became interested in the lack of harmonic structure and dissonance and the strong melodies. The melodies were just beautiful to me."

Jones's iconoclasm has earned him the respect and admiration of myriad musicians in Richmond and beyond. He is in high demand as a session player. He teaches daily, balancing time between students at William and Mary, University of Richmond, Collegiate School, Virginia Commonwealth University, and other locations—all of this as well as taking care of his young family. He has two daughters, ages 5 and 2, and his wife is an attorney.

Jones juggles a challenging schedule that would threaten to wear anyone down. His family and his sense of routine seem to help keep him grounded.

"The kids are up at 6:30am every day, so that's when I get up. Doesn't matter if I had a gig the night before and got home at 2am. They need to eat breakfast." He also works out regularly at the YMCA. "Typically I get in there around nine in the morning three or four times a week to run and workout."

"My older daughter is really coming into her own. She sits at the piano and plays a few notes and says she’s writing a tune. It's pretty cool to watch."

He seems not to focus on the fact that he is one of the most admired and imitated musicians in town, and he doesn’t think much about the respect he’s earned. All of the focus is on the music he’s creating in the moment, whenever it comes.

"Tonight I'm playing percussion with Fight the Big Bull and all I'm thinking about is, 'How are we going to approach it and what are we going to play?' I'm just thinking about what's happening right now. If someone likes what I'm doing, I'm pleased. To me it's about opportunity. I just want to keep playing, teaching, recording, performing, as long as I can. I do look at developing and helping people who are younger than me, people like [drummers] Pinson [Chanselle] and Scott Clark. My attitude is, 'here's what I've done, but I'm not saying it's the way.'"

"People need to find their own voice."

Boots of Leather is: Brian Jones: drums; Randall Pharr: bass; J.C. Kuhl: saxophone.

RVAjazzfest is made possible by the
generous support of Richmond Jazz Society, Inc., RVA Magazine, Francis J. Balint & Associates, and Urban Views Weekly

Photos by Dean Christesen and Lindsey Prather