Steve Jones, Jazz Pianist

Steve Jones is a Seattle-area amateur jazz pianist who organizes other amateur jazz players in the greater Seattle area. A native of Washington State for over 50 years, Steve has been a resident of Seattle for over half his life. Though classically trained, Steve has always had jazz in his life, playing alto and tenor saxophone in college, and later studying jazz piano with Seattle professionals.

Growing up, Steve was immersed in music. His parents, Dr. Wendal Jones and Virginia Jones, played principal bassoon and clarinet in the Spokane Symphony for 40 years. Virginia played tenor in the Spokane Jazz Society's big band, a group that brought many big names to town as their guests-- big names like Dizzy Gillespie, Ernestine Anderson, and many others. Steve had the privilege of seeing professional musicians in both classical and jazz genres do their work, as well as meeting the guest artists at after-parties in the Jones home. Exposure to these fascinating worlds and the artists led Steve to play classically on bassoon in several groups, and eventually jazz piano.

In 2008, Steve began studying piano with Dave Peck and then later with Seattle's Darin Clendenin. He attended Jazz Port Townsend and Jamey Aebersold's Jazz Workshop, and started learning about playing with others. Shortly thereafter he started Seattle Area Jazz Musicians, a Meetup group for over 800 amateur jazz musicians to find one another to play together. Steve formed several groups and played with them in the greater Seattle area. Before the pandemic of 2020, the group had about nine jams going weekly, mostly in public venues.

Steve has served as a leader and sideman in many groups in the greater Seattle area since organizing SAJM, including Standard Time (a sextet), the Jazz Geeks, and other piano jazz trios.

He has appeared in public performances with Clipper Anderson (bs) and Mark Ivester (ds) at Tula's Jazz Club in Seattle, with the Steve Jones Trio at Egan's Ballard Jam House in Seattle, and with the Steve Jones Trio at Village Wines in Woodinville for a year-long show.

Steve's musical influences are many, but lyrical lines and reharmonization are his biggest interests, inspired by his teacher Dave Peck, Keith Jarrett, and Bill Evans. Other favorite professional pianists include Brad Mehldau, Diana Krall, Eliane Elias, and Monty Alexander.

Today Steve plays piano in The Steve Jones Trio and The Jones Boys Quartet, and holds vocal jams and instrumental jams at his home in Bothell, Washington. Steve also plays piano in the Pacific Cascade Big Band, and in the Eagle Harbor Jazz Ensemble, both of which actively perform in public, and also makes solo piano appearances at Overlake Hospital in Bellevue.