MARSHELL JONES
Vocalist/Songwriter
Dubbed the Funky Jazz Priestess by her ever-growing following, Marshell Jones is a New York-based vocalist/songwriter who weaves striking stories of life, love and other unsolved mysteries. An eclectic mélange of standard jazz and classic soul, Marshell’s performances entice audiences with her lyrical wit and gutsy improvisations. As Time Out New York music critic, Mike Wolf, has written: “Marshell Jones has a strong voice [that] sings, wails, howls, whispers, chants.”
Collaborating with some of the most inventive jazz musicians on the New York scene, Marshell’s performances highlight her amazing ability to stretch the limits of the first instrument: the human voice. Her latest collaborators include Xavier Davis, Chuck McPherson, Leon Dorsey and Nick Rolfe.
In a most evocative way, Marshell integrates her versatile instrument into the rich soundscape of the ensemble, traversing an impressive spectrum of cultures, times and emotions. Marshell’s self-produced début CD, Evidence of Things Not Seen, marks the beginning of her journey as a recording artist. Evidence of Things Not Seen is available for purchase at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/marshell as well as through the following major internet distributors: Amazon.com, Borders.com, Barnes & Noble.com.
Marshell has studied vocal techniques in both the jazz and the European classical styles, having trained most recently with: Joey Blake, of Bobby McFerrin’s Voicestra; Marie Afonso, formerly of the Grammy-nominated vocal ensemble Zap Mama; renowned jazz bassist and Coltrane collaborator, Reggie Workman; and jazz guitarist/composer, Gerry Eastman, who has performed and recorded with such legends as Sarah Vaughan and Count Basie.
The Marshell Jones Kollaborative has performed at an impressive array of venues such as the BAMcafé Live! Music Series (Brooklyn Academy of Music), The Knitting Factory and The Celebrate Brooklyn! Arts Festival, in collaboration with Soul II Soul’s former lead vocalist Caron Wheeler and the Montclair Women’s Jazz Festival.
In December 2000, Marshell had the honor of performing as a featured soloist in Accra, Ghana for the country’s president. In July 2001, The Marshell Jones Kollaborative made its debut appearance at Artscape, Baltimore’s annual international festival of the arts, as the opening act for Grammy Award-winner, Ruben Blades.
In addition to performing, Jones designs and facilitates her Lift Every Voice! A Cappella Improvisation Workshops in the U.S. and abroad, bringing together communities of sound-makers for unique music-making that heals and inspires.
Marshell is a recipient of the Fulbright Performing Arts Travel Grant (Sénégal, Ghana, Côte D’Ivoire). She is also featured in Head of the Class-The Lion King Project (Bravo! Film & Arts Network 2000) and As I Am: Young African-American Women in a Critical Age, a highly acclaimed photo-documentary by Julian C. R. Okwu (Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1999).
Marshell Jones Music was founded in August 1997 by Marshell Jones to fulfill a dual vision: to serve as a production house for her CD’s and live performances and as an arts education consultancy for schools, corporations and community-based organizations. Evidence of Things Not Seen is the début independent recording project of Flying Star Arts, LLC.
Through the consulting wing of Marshell Jones Music, Ms. Jones custom designs and facilitates Creative Process Workshops for schools, corporations and community-based organizations. By engaging in a series of improvisational music, dance and theater exercises, workshop participants identify and work through personal blocks to creative expression as well as develop arts-based strategies for community-building across differences. Interwoven into the design of her workshops, Ms. Jones’ original music serves as a central tool in the facilitation of the creative process.
Marshell Jones is a member of the consultant roster of the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) Technical Assistance Program. Ms. Jones was also a featured artist in the Bravo Film & Arts Network documentary entitled Head of the Class: The Lion King Project. This documentary chronicles the pilot arts education program launched by Walt Disney Theatrical Productions, Ltd. in the fall of 1999 for 200 fifth grade classes throughout the five boroughs of New York City. This program took place in conjunction with the cast and crew of the Broadway production of The Lion King.
Marshell has given live performances and has facilitated Creative Process Workshops throughout the United States, Brazil, West Africa and the Pacific Islands.