Over the course of three previous albums for the Mack Avenue Records label, trumpeter Sean Jones has revealed himself as among the most immensely expressive, versatile and gifted players of his generation. With each new project, the Warren, OH, native has peeled back another layer to show us a fresh peek at his soul. His 2004 solo debut, Eternal Journey (recorded when he was 25) introduced Sean as a deft expresser of modern bop for the 21st century via originals and standards in a quintet format. His sophomore effort, Gemini, found him deftly mixing soul and funk flourishes with bop, proving he was not adverse to more contemporary textures. His third album, Roots, reflects his love of the music of the church, which he grew up singing as a child. His fourth and equally impressive release Kaleidoscope, Sean Jones adds another hue to his ever-expanding musical palette - showcasing the voices and song selections of an amazing assemblage of five top-flight singers: Gretchen Parlato, Carolyn Perteete, Sachal Vasandani, J.D. Walter, and contemporary gospel powerhouse Kim Burrell.

On Jones’ fifth album, The Search Within, the venture continues, but this time the focus turns inward. “This is a journey inside my soul that’s taken place over the past 10 years,” Jones says. “It’s an assessment of where I am in the present as well as how I’ve learned from my mistakes and triumphs as a way of looking into the future. This album goes very deep for me. It’s a spiritual and sonic journey for me.”

Sean Jones is a player whose style reflects Clifford Brown for technical facility, Freddie Hubbard for flowing, lyrical lines, Woody Shaw for his intervalistic approach, and Miles Davis for leadership in forward thinking and contouring the music of the eras around his singular style. Indeed, it was after a teacher gave Sean - then a fifth grader - copies of Davis' albums Kind of Blue (1959) and Tutu (1986) that he was hooked on trumpet immediately. Lessons learned under Professor Bill Fielder were of infinite guidance to young Sean as were high school studies with Esotto Pellegrini, which led to Sean earning an undergraduate degree in classical trumpet.

Beyond his responsibilities as the leader of his own bands, Sean Jones is lead trumpeter of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and the Professor of Jazz Studies at Duquesne University.