Carnegie Hall

Through intimate interviews filmed at Carnegie Hall, A Story in Every Note invites you into the musical worlds of legendary artists through a singular, seminal piece of music.

In this interview, trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator, and activist Sean Jones reveals why Jihye Lee’s “Struggle Gives You Strength” is more than his life mantra—it embodies his approach to authentic music making and a philosophy he hopes to instill in his students.

Get to know some of the greatest artists of our time: Learn more about the works that inspire them, the sounds that define them, and the stories behind the music that moves them. Watch the full series on our YouTube channel.

Music and spirituality have always been fully intertwined in the artistic vision of trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator, and activist Sean Jones. Singing and performing as a child with the church choir in his hometown of Warren, Ohio, Jones switched from the drums to the trumpet at the age of 10.

Jones is a musical chameleon and is comfortable in any musical setting, no matter what the role or the genre. He is equally adept in being a member of an ensemble as he is at being a bandleader. Jones turned a six-month stint with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra into an offer from Wynton Marsalis for a permanent position as lead trumpeter—a post he held from 2004 until 2010. In 2015, Jones was tapped to become a member of the SFJAZZ Collective. During this time, he managed to keep a core group of talented musicians together, forming the foundation for his groups that have produced and released eight recordings on Mack Avenue Records, the latest being Sean Jones: Live from Jazz at the Bistro in 2017.

Sean Jones has been prominently featured with major jazz artists, recording and/or performing with Illinois Jacquet, Jimmy Heath, Frank Foster, Nancy Wilson, Dianne Reeves, and Gerald Wilson. Jones was also selected by Marcus Miller, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter for their 2011 tour in tribute to Miles Davis.

Jones has also performed with The Cleveland Orchestra, the Pittsburgh and Youngstown symphony orchestras, Baltimore’s Soulful Symphony, and in a chamber group at the Salt Bay Chamberfest. He is also an internationally recognized educator. In addition to serving as artistic director of NYO Jazz—one of Carnegie Hall’s three acclaimed national youth ensembles—Jones is the immediate past president of the Jazz Education Network. In 2018, he was named the Richard and Elizabeth Case Chair of Jazz at John Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute in Baltimore. Before his role at Peabody, Jones served as the chair of the brass department at Boston’s Berklee College of Music.

Photo credit: Jones by Todd Rosenberg.