Jazz saxophonist Eldon T. Jones on music and upcoming events

Jones moves hearts through his profoundly genuine playing and an infectious groove he honed in Portland before becoming a nationally recognized smooth jazz artist and electrifying festival performer. As a child in a prominent musical family, melody was part of the air Jones breathed. “I fell in love with music by listening to my mother sing. Listening to my uncles playing saxophone in church inspired me to pick up the sax,” Jones says. He began playing saxophone in his church and at Jefferson High School in Portland, where he won awards in classical and jazz. From there, he studied music at Mt. Hood Community College, the pinnacle of jazz education in the Northwest. “As I got into music that resonated with me, Grover Washington, Jr., Wilton Felder (Crusaders), and Kirk Whalum influenced my own playing,” Jones says. In 1995, Jones brought together young musicians from his neighborhood to form the group N Touch that Portland audiences soon grew to cherish. Their burgeoning local fanbase led to N Touch opening for Earth, Wind & Fire and Tower of Power, receiving glowing praise from musicians in both groups. They even performed at a private event for Michael Jordan. The original N Touch musicians moved on to new projects, and Jones kept the music of N Touch alive in Portland over the years with new members. As Jones established himself throughout the Northwest, he never disconnected from his community or roots. He often performs at the Oregon Symphony’s Gospel Christmas show and benefit concerts for local organizations. Jones values his role as a mentor and has provided a training ground for outstanding musicians including his brother Anthony Jones (Pink Martini), Chris Turner (Prince), and Darius Fentress (Fred Hammond). In 2017, World Arts Foundation recognized Jones with a Lifetime Achievement Award at their annual Martin Luther King, Jr.  Tribute for the blessing his music has been to the Portland community. In 2015, Jones contributed the song “Love Will Find a Way” to the Bespeak Love collaboration, which reached #1 on the UK Soul Chart and was played throughout the US on smooth jazz radio stations. In 2018, the original N Touch members took the Alberta Rose Theatre stage for the sold-out crowd to relive an era. Jones performed the music of his idol, Grover Washington, Jr. at PDX Jazz Festival in 2019 and took the show on the road to Bend, Oregon for three sold-out Jazz at the Oxford concerts in 2020. In 2022, Jones partnered with LaRhonda Steele for a special Juneteenth concert at Alberta Rose Theatre, and he performed at the Vanport Jazz Festival, which is named after the town where his grandparents survived the 1948 flood. Portland Jazz Festival invited Jones to perform a First Call Showcase concert, a new series honoring local legends of the jazz scene, so he put together an outstanding band for a sold-out show at The Old Church! Jones released “T’s Jam” as a single on October 25, 2021, and it peaked at #54 in its 16-week run on the Smooth Jazz Network Top 100. “T’s Jam” also reached #1 on the Groove Jazz Music Most Added chart, and #4 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Most Added chart. The success of “T’s Jam” caught the attention of Jones’s longtime friend and industry wiz Darren Rahn who signed Jones to his label Side 2 Music. Rahn produced Jones’s next singles “Captured by Love,” which hit #30 on the SJNT100, and “Sweet Serenity,” which peaked at #31 on the SJNT100 and #41 on the Media