Mimi Jones

Mimi Jones
Full Biography

For more than two decades she’s been on the scene, bassist/vocalist/producer/label owner and now filmmaker Mimi Jones has reigned supreme, as a side woman to an impressive coterie of musicians and as a leader with three CDs on her own Hot Tone Music label, A New Day (2009) and Balance (2014) ----her third CD for the label, Feet in the Mud, being her most powerful, propulsive, and personal recording to date. “Feet in the Mud to me means being true to one’s own self despite your race, age, gender, size etcetera,” Jones says. “It’s about finding true joy within yourself, having an open mind and spirit and a connection to the earth.”  
The jazz world is happy that Mimi Jones is on the scene. Born Miriam Sullivan in New York City on March 25, 1972, and was raised in the Bronx.  

Jones studied classically under the tutelage of Linda McKnight and simultaneously studied at the Jazz mobile school on Saturday mornings with bassist Lisle Atkinson. She also studied with jazz masters such as Barry Harris, Ron Carter, Milt Hinton, Dr. Billy Taylor, Yusef Lateef, Max Roach, Maria Schneider, and bassist Guillermo Edgehill.
As a Jazz Ambassador, Mimi toured Africa, Europe, Russia, China, South and Central America, and the Caribbean for the U.S. State Department. Her vast work as a side-woman includes gigs with Kenny Barron, Lizz Wright, Beyonce, Dianne Reeves, Tia Fuller, Ingrid Jensen, Roy Hargrove, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Nona Hendricks, Marc Cary, Rachel Z, Sean Jones, Jason Moran, Ravi Coltrane, Ralph Peterson, and Terri Lyne Carrington’s Grammy Award winningMosaic Project.  

Jones launched her own record label, Hot Tone Music, in 2009 which now has produced nine albums thus far.  

In addition, Mimi Jones co-directs with ArcoIris Sandoval, The D.O.M.E. Experience, a multimedia project that is meant to inspire its audience to become aware of environmental and social issues, within the community and globally, by original compositions performed by a 20 piece jazz orchestra, dance and cinematography. This project has been awarded the following awards:  

New Music USA Award, Bronx Council on the Arts Award

C.E.R.N. (Citizens Emergency Network) Award

The Bronx Museum Commission and Residency

Casita Maria for Arts and Education Commission and Residency Puffin Foundation Award

Pregones Theater Commission and Residency

Shape Shifter Commission and Residency

Bronx Heritage Center Commission and Residence  

Mimi also created an original mini musical production about the great migration and Harlem renaissance, with a cast of seven entitled “Next Stop Harlem”.

Mimi Jones was voted rising star by the DownBeat polls for 4 years straight, receiving received #1 rising star award by the DownBeat Polls in 2018. Mimi’s article on beats and rhythm was featured in the DownBeat Magazine as part of the “Woodshed” section of the publication.

Pre-pandemic Jones began developing a fresh original music project called The Black Madonna, featuring strings instruments, percussion, voice, with hopes of recording new music later in early 2023.  

Mimi Jones is a full-time professor at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, MA and part time faculty at 

The New School for Social Research.

She has returned to Purchase University for the fourth year as part of the faculty for Carnegie Hall Foundation, NYO summer 2023 program led by Joanna Massey and Sean Jones. This prestigious program selects the best players in the nation, from 16-19 years of age to experience a rigorous musical training, immediately followed by a performance at Carnegie Hall and an extravagant tour throughout Europe.  

Mimi Jones has recorded and performed with: The American Opera Project, Between the World and Me HBO Special(Kamilah Forbes, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Jason Moran, Nate Smith, Ledisi, Common, Angela Bassett), TheLeap Day Trio “Live at the Bohemia Café” including renowned drummer Matt Wilson and musical Jeff Lederer on sax and Nitebjuti which was signed by Whirlwind Recordings in October 2022. The music industry was hit by storm on July 28th, 2023 with the 1st album release of the group called Nite Bjuti.Improvising beats and layers of sound they tell stories inspired by their afro roots and culture: electronica, avant-garde trio featuring Candice Hoyes on voice, Val Jeanty as sound chemist and Mimi Jones on bass.  

The great drummer/producer/composer/innovator Terri LyneCarrington published a book labeled as New Standards 101 Lead Sheets by Women which includes one of Mimi’s compositions entitled One 4 JB in October 2022.  

Jones hosted for 4 seasons of her infamous “inclusive”, weekly community jam session “The Lab Session Jam and Jazz Party” every Sunday at “Room 623 NYC” in Harlem, NY.  Ms. Jones was listed as No. 1 in the Rising Star Down Beat Polls 2024. 

Currently Mimi Jones is a member of Nite Bjuti with vocalist Candice Hoyes, and Val Jeanty and Mimi Jones, is an evocative improvised trio of Afro Caribbean artists using electronics, vocalism, bass, Haitian drum rhythms, sampling and spoken word to cultivate their narrative journey. Their first album entitled Nite Bjuti was produced on Whirlwind Record Label and they were just signed to a new label based in Switzerland, called Intakt Records. 

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MIMI JONES

Biography

For more than two decades she’s been on the scene, bassist/vocalist/producer/label owner and now filmmaker Mimi Jones has reigned supreme, as a side woman to an impressive coterie of musicians and as a leader with three CDs on her own Hot Tone Music label, A New Day (2009) and Balance (2014) ----her third CD for the label, Feet in the Mud, being her most powerful, propulsive, and personal recording to date. “Feet in the Mud to me means being true to one’s own self despite your race, age, gender, size etcetera,” Jones says. “It’s about finding true joy within yourself, having an open mind and spirit and a connection to the earth.”

Jones is supported by an engaging and ingenious collection of musicians: pianist Jon Cowherd (Brian Blade, Cassandra Wilson, Rosanne Cash), drummer Jonathan (Kenny Barron, Kurt Elling, Erykah Badu), and soprano saxophonist Samir Zarif (Jason Marsalis, Nicholas Payton, Aaron Neville

“Once I switched to bass, I began listening Jimmy Blanton and Oscar Pettiford. They had their own sound and their individual approach to weaving bass lines and improvisation. Milt Hinton took me under his wing, and gifted me a scholarship to the jazz camp at Skidmore summer camp. He had an early influence on me to sing and play bass,” Jones fondly recalls. “I grew up listening to a lot of Miles Davis, which naturally exposed me to the great Ron Carter, Sam Jones, and Paul Chambers. Later on I experienced the Oscar Peterson trio, which exposed me to Ray Brown. Wow!”

In preparation of college, with help of her mentors, Jesse Hameen II (aka Cheese), Rodney Jones, Lisle Atkinson and Linda Mcknight Mimi was able to properly prepare for her audition which eventually would award her a full scholarship at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music.

Jones studied classically under the tutelage of Linda McKnight and simultaneously attended weekend classes at the Jazz mobile school on Saturday mornings with bassist Lisle Atkinson. She also studied with jazz masters such as Barry Harris, Ron Carter, Milt Hinton, Dr. Billy Taylor, Yusef Lateef, Max Roach, Maria Schneider, and bassist Guillermo Edgehill.

As a Jazz Ambassador, Mimi toured Africa, Europe, Russia, China, South and Central America, and the Caribbean for the U.S. State Department. Her vast work as a sidewoman includes gigs with Kenny Barron, Lizz Wright, Beyonce, Frank Ocean, Dianne Reeves, Tia Fuller, Ingrid Jensen, Roy Hargrove, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Nona Hendricks, Kevin Mahogany, Corey Glover, Raymond Angry, Marc Cary, Toshi Reagon, Rachel Z, Tammy McCann, Sean Jones, Cyrille Aimee, Allan Harris, Rudy Royston, Ravi Coltrane, Ralph Peterson, and Terri Lyne Carrington’s Grammy Award winning Mosaic Project.

 Jones launched her own record label, Hot Tone Music, in 2009 which now has produced nine albums thus far. In addition, Mimi Jones co-directs with ArcoIris Sandoval a project called The D.O.M.E. Experience, a multimedia project that is meant to inspire its audience to become aware of environmental and social issues, within the community and globally, by original compositions performed by a 20 piece jazz orchestra, dance and cinematography. Mimi also created an original mini musical production about the great migration and harlem renaissance, with a cast of seven entitled “Next Stop Harlem”. To create more opportunities for herself as well as others she felt should have more exposure, Mimi Jones started up the annual Limitless Music Festival (NYC)in January during jazz convention week. Since 2013, Mimi has been hosting a jazz party/experimental jam called The Lab Session based in NYC, and as of October 2017 will also be hosted throughout multiple cities in the US sponsored by organization called Live it Live, that cultivates the growth of live music by bringing the musicians, the audience and the venues together.

Mimi Jones was voted #2 rising star by the DownBeat polls for 3 years straight.

To learn more info please visit: www.mimijonesmusic.com or www.hottonemusic.com

Publicist:


Terri Hinte 510-234-8781 hudba@sbcglobal.net

Radio Promoter: Pro marketing Entertainment

Craig Neely  (415) 240-6344 promarketing00@yahoo.com

M I M I    J O N E S

Biography

For the more than two decades she’s been on the scene, bassist/vocalist/producer/label owner and now filmmaker Mimi Jones has reigned supreme, as a side woman to an impressive coterie of musicians and as a leader with three CDs on her own label, (Hot Tone Music) featuring the Mimi Jones Band.

Her newest release for the label, Feet in the Mud, is her most powerful, recording to date. “Feet in the Mud refers to being true to one’s own self despite your race, age, gender, size etcetera,” Jones says.

Jones is supported by an engaging and ingenious collection of musicians including pianist Jon Cowherd, drummer Jonathan Barber, and saxophonist Samir Zarif.

Born in New York City of parents from Barbados, and raised in the Bronx,

Jones is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music Conservatory and she has studied with Lisle Atkinson, Ron Carter, Linda McKnight, Milton Hinton and others.

She has toured extensively throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, and the Caribbean Islands and is recognized as a U.S. Jazz Ambassador.  Her vast work as a side woman includes gigs with Kenny Barron, Frank Ocean, Dianne Reeves, Tia Fuller, Ingrid Jensen, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Marc Cary, Toshi Reagon, Rachel Z, Sean Jones, Ravi Coltrane,and Terri Lyne Carrington’sGrammy Award winning Mosaic Project.

Jones also serves as co-director with ArcoIris Sandoval of The D.O.M.E. Experience, a multimedia project created to inspire its audience to become aware of environmental and social issues, within the community and globally through choreography, composition and cinematography.

Mimi Jones: Feet in the Mud

(Hot Tone Music)

Street Date: May 13, 2016

Web Sites: www.mimijonesmusic.com, www.hottonemusic.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HotToneMusic

Twitter: @mimijonesmusic, @HotToneMusic

Media Contact:

Terri Hinte

510-234-8781

hudba@sbcglobal.net

Bassist/vocalist/producer/label owner and now filmmaker Mimi Jones has reigned supreme, as a side woman to an impressive coterie of musicians and as a leader with her own Hot Tone Music record label. Feet in the Mud, her third CD for the label, is her most powerful, propulsive, and personal recording to date.

Mimi Jones was born of parents from Barbados, and raised in the Bronx, in New York City.

She graduated from the Manhattan School of Music Conservatory.

Mimi has toured extensively throughout seven continents and is recognized as a U.S. Jazz Ambassador.  She has played with Kenny Barron, Frank Ocean, Dianne Reeves, Tia Fuller, Ingrid Jensen, Marc Cary, Toshi Reagon, Rachel Z, Terri Lyne Carrington’sGrammy Award winning Mosaic Project and more.

Jones co-created with ArcoIris Sandoval, a multimedia project that is meant to inspire its audience to become aware of environmental and social issues called The D.O.M.E. Experience.

Bassist/vocalist/composer/filmmaker Mimi Jones has reigned supreme, with her own Hot Tone Music record label. Feet in the Mud, her third CD for the label with the Mimi Jones band, is her most powerful recording to date.

She was born in New York City, attended the Manhattan School of Music Conservatory and has toured seven continents as a band leader and a sideman . Mimi has performed with Kenny Barron, Beyonce, Terri Lyne Carrington etc.

Mimi Jones co-created The D.O.M.E. Experience project, a multimedia project that inspires its audience to make a difference in environmental and social issues through art.

“She has developed a style that is smooth, sure, uncomplicated but with a sensuous touch.”

"Mimi's music taps in directly to the senses using elements of jazz, folk, rock, blues and different sounds from around the world..."