Meet Anson Jones | Singer, Songwriter, & Composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anson Jones and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anson, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Everyone knows that risk taking is an integral part of making art – and especially making good art, but I’m learning more and more about what that actually means. Simply the act of “putting it out there” and inviting criticism is risk, but even during the private part of the process, messing around with new sounds in the privacy of my room, things can feel super risky! It’s easy to get attached to the current version of a song and not want to risk “messing it up” by experimenting with or pushing it, but that’s often where the music starts to get really interesting. I think one big thing I’m learning about risks is that you don’t need to protect your good ideas. If you take five good ideas and experiment with them, and four turn out worse and one turns out amazing, you didn’t really lose four good ideas, you gained one really great one. And the more good ideas you generate and use, the more you’ll come up with – It’s not a finite supply.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

I’m a singer and a songwriter and a composer, and I have a background in jazz and folk, although I pull from a lot of different genres. My most recent EP, “A Way With Words”, was a collaboration with producer and drummer Adrian Harpham, and it pulled in a lot of rock and RnB influence with an experimental touch. I’m also currently in Paris on a Fulbright grant to write an instrumental suite for jazz nonet, which is a much more academic project.

Right now, I’m in an interesting moment where I’ve just graduated, I have a lot of training, and it’s time to start using those tools to make something new and exciting. I’m doing some “traditional” jazz projects and some contemporary stuff, but I’m reevaluating what it means to be making relevant music today. My background is acoustic, classic, kind of retro music, but I love everything from Apex Twin to Shostakovich, from Royal Blood to Britney. I think that finding ways to combine tradition and modernity are what really fascinate me right now.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is an interesting question since I’m living in Paris for the year! There’s so much to do here but when I’ve had friends visit I would take them to the Musée de l’Orangerie which is my favorite museum, or Folderol, this great bar that pairs wine with ice cream – what’s not to love? I’d also suggest going to the Philharmonie which offers super affordable tickets for anyone under 26.

A fun fact about when I lived in Phoenix is that I actually recorded my first and so far only (although that’s about to change) music video at Camelback mountain! It’s for my song July, go check it out on YouTube 🙂

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’ve been unbelievably fortunate, and it would take a book to thank all the people that have supported and taught me – if I started listing individuals I think I would never be able to stop!!

I think the biggest thank you has to go to everyone at Litchfield Jazz Camp and Festival. I started going there when I was about 13 and have basically never stopped (last summer I worked as assistant vocal faculty). I went to a high school that didn’t have much of a music program so Litchfield was where I really learned what jazz was – learning from some of the best musicians around, playing in combos every day, meeting friends who were just as much music nerds as I was, getting on stage every week, talking to the older kids in conservatory… being there was the first time I had a community of musicians around me who made a career in music seem like a choice and not just a fairytale. Also, having such a range of levels made the atmosphere really loving instead of competitive, which I needed as an anxious, stage-fearing teenager! As I made the transition from student to adult, it’s people from Litchfield who have given me the best advice, most steadfast support, and coolest performance opportunities – I even sang a set with Nicole Zuraitis at the 25th Festival!

Website: www.AnsonVoice.com

Instagram: @ansonjonesmusic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnsonVoice

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC04cPJD9tmEEExjcWjXy78A

Other: my YouTube tag is @ansonjonesmusic Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3xT97ey0BVfOXbVwm17s0s?si=95EGDPMjR2-J7wNnT7OLVg Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/anson-jones/1561271259 Deezer: https://deezer.page.link/kDgCuRzpDbxkjdtJ6

Image Credits
Aliya Ismagilova, Dane Jacobson and Henri Charles