Studio Album - Let's Get Tropical

For Let’s Get Tropical, Paul Jones has assembled his dream team rhythm section to realize a set of his compositions and one jazz standard. Pianist Phil Markowitz, bassist Linda Oh, and drummer Clarence Penn bring their collective wealth of experience to the proceedings, allowing for a quick recording process consisting of one rehearsal and one day in the studio. 
 
Paul’s compositions find him assimilating an ever-broadening palette of influences. These include French impressionist composer Maurice Ravel (MR 4 and MR2), Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti (Trio #3), political hip hop group Public Enemy (Mental Self Defensive Fitness), and space-age composer and arranger Les Baxter (Let’s Get Tropical). Filtered through Jones’ various compositional strategies, these inspirations emerge in the atmosphere and themes of their related compositions, but never as straightforward stylistic tributes. 

The success of the present recording lies in Paul’s ability to prioritize his personal aesthetic while working with a set of eclectic influences, multiple compositional strategies, and diverse themes. Even with these varied sources of inspiration, the music here always sounds like Paul Jones.