Rico Jones is one of the most visionary saxophonists and composers of his generation. Based in Harlem, New York, he is a force of spiritual depth, technical mastery, and cultural integrity. In 2025, his debut album BloodLines (Giant Step Arts) received 4 stars from DownBeat Magazine, was labeled “Indispensable” by Paris Move (France), and garnered acclaim across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Described as “incredibly mature, soulful, and undeniably in the moment,” Jones has been heralded as “a new star in the firmament of contemporary jazz” (Rockerilla, Italy) and “a fearless heir to the Coltrane lineage” (Jazz Podium, Germany)....
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Rico Jones is one of the most visionary saxophonists and composers of his generation. Based in Harlem, New York, he is a force of spiritual depth, technical mastery, and cultural integrity. In 2025, his debut album BloodLines (Giant Step Arts) received 4 stars from DownBeat Magazine, was labeled “Indispensable” by Paris Move (France), and garnered acclaim across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Described as “incredibly mature, soulful, and undeniably in the moment,” Jones has been heralded as “a new star in the firmament of contemporary jazz” (Rockerilla, Italy) and “a fearless heir to the Coltrane lineage” (Jazz Podium, Germany).
He has shared the stage with artists including
Jeff “Tain” Watts, Esperanza Spalding, Cyrus Chestnut, Bobby Watson, Victor Lewis, Philip Harper, Essiet Essiet, Veronica Swift, and the Mingus Big Band. He has led bands featuring Nasheet Waits, Joe Martin, Max Light, Mike King, Rich Perry, Dezron Douglas, Ari Hoenig, Eric Harland and many others.
Jones is a featured artist on Giant Step Arts, the elite nonprofit label led by renowned jazz photographer Jimmy Katz. His spiritual and compositional voice has been compared to those of Immanuel Wilkins and Joel Ross, young leaders with deep roots in the Black church. Jones’s musical path blends ancestral memory with cutting-edge improvisation, marked by urgency, humility, and devotion.
A multi-award-winning artist, Jones was granted a full scholarship to attend the Manhattan School of Music for both undergraduate and graduate studies. He received the William H. Borden Award for Outstanding Achievement in Jazz and six DownBeat Magazine awards, including “Best Jazz Soloist” and “Best Small Jazz Ensemble.” Other honors include the Vandoren Emerging Artist Award, the Yamaha Young Performing Artist Award, the KUVO “30 Under 30” Artist Award, and selection to programs such as Grammy Band, Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead, JAS Aspen, and the Jazz Band of America.
From 2022 to 2024, Jones co-led the first all-Indigenous Big Band alongside Julia Keefe. Their performances include a historic appearance at the Kennedy Center’s Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival and a 2023 Alaska tour featuring new music composed by Jones. That same year, he completed a national tour of Ecuador with the Joan Sanchez Quartet.
Mentored by artists such as George Coleman, Vincent Herring, Bennie Maupin, Bobby Watson, David Kikoski, and Charles McPherson, Jones also draws inspiration from his time playing gospel saxophone as a teenager at Denver’s Cure D’Ars Catholic Church. Born and raised in Colorado, his formative years were shaped by Black American musical traditions, Indigenous storytelling, and a personal devotion to spiritual practice through sound.
Currently based in Harlem, Rico Jones continues to compose, perform, and educate with an unwavering dedication to beauty, truth, and community.
What the Masters Say
“Rico is one of the few original voices emerging. His musicianship and passion have forged an original voice we will joyfully be hearing more from in the future.”
— Vincent Herring, DownBeat Magazine
“Rico Jones is a fine saxophonist steeped in the Jazz tradition with eyes set on the future who, like me 50 years ago, made that Quantum Leap to NYC to feel the energy and camaraderie that makes the claim Jazz Mecca.”
— Victor Lewis
“Rico’s beautiful saxophone sound, his incredible energy and his improvisational brilliance consistently engage audiences and his peers, alike.”
— Brad Goode
“Wonderful player, wonderful musician. With my tutelage, he has become even better.”
— George Coleman
“Truly a young brilliant tenor player of today. Sensitive and intelligent, he knows the language and plays from the heart.”
— Charles McPherson
“Rico Jones is a rapidly ascending and musically arresting artist. In the short time that I’ve played with him he has impressed me with his knowledge of music and his poise as a leader. Rico is amazing.”
— Harold Summey
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![[rico Jones Bloodlines]　 at Five Spot Jazz](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/media/medium/394a19420c791755511f4fa48ec9ae79.jpg "[rico Jones Bloodlines]　 at Five Spot Jazz - event poster")
