More recently, Kevin has continued to stick close to his roots of Jazz and Traditional African and Neo-African music by playing with many artists such as Talib Kibwe, Winard Harper, Babatunde Lea, James Weidman and Clifford Adams. Kevin still can be found playing traditional African music with Malaki Ma Congo Drum and Dance Ensemble.

Besides performing, Kevin is fast becoming an excellent teacher and clinician. He now works for the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, The Bronx Ensemble, Arts Horizons, Dance Giant Steps and Harlem School of the Arts.

Kevin has recently recorded his own project, “Land of Eternal Tranquil Light”, featuring drummer Marvin “Bugalu” Smith, saxophonist Talib Kibwe, pianist Kelvin Sholar and percussionist Djobi Irie Simon, a recording expressing his commitment to peace and an expression of his untiring faith.

“Bujo” Kevin Jones: ” I can start by saying that Tenth World is a group which is dedicated to producing music that will inspire, heal and unify society. Our music can best be described as music that is inspired by the rhythms of the African diaspora.

My biggest influences are Mongo Santamaria, John Coltrane, Archie Shepp, Dizzy Gillespie, drummers Tito Puente, Max Roach, Art Blakey, Chief Bey, Big Black, Guinean master drummer Mamady Keita, Babatunde Olatunji, Babatunde Lea, The Isley Brothers and congolese drummer,Titos Sompa.”

The creative process of Corporate Gun is an updated version of the “Killer Miller” philosophy. We still find most creative inspiration with an altered mind and perspective;however, within the new philosophy we are more focused on the end goal of a producing material we believe is well written and presented.

Creative Session

On a typical day or weekend of which the focus is writing new material, we may stay straight or use some additives. In our studio we have a mix of band members and “Spiritual Directors,” as we call them. Someone will present an idea to start the jam or we might just dive into a blind jam, following leads and listening to everyone speak. Often times, someone in the room outside of the band or a random will present some great ideas. The entire session is recorded using a room mic.

Filtering Session

During a filtering session, several members if not the entire band will sit and reflect on recordings from the creative sessions. From these open ended jams we’ll take key ideas and directions to begin the process of forming structure and coherency. Quite often the smallest segment or run of notes can spawn an entire song structure. The biggest challenge can be remembering how we played what we hear on the recording. Once we settle on something solid we begin to compose.

Tracking Session

With a good idea of how we want the new song to stand, we will track it piece by piece, beginning with the drums. Many bands utilize “Click-Tracks” to keep the drummer in time. Occasionally well use one on a song requiring precise timing, but we tend to prefer using a scratch piano or guitar track with the drums and record by natural feel and time.

Eric has excellent time and feel as a result of his training. Moving down the line we’ll add in bass, guitar, piano, and vocals. Sometimes we play each others instrument and track it for a fresh perspective.

Mixing Session

Once the new song has been tracked we go ahead and begin the fine tuning. Each part is adjusted to how we see it to fitting effectively in the overall mix. During the mixing we may also add some secondary harmony parts, sound fx, or re-track, something that could be played better. The mixing has a tendency to take up the most time and effort, with the freedoms of modern recording equipment, however we like to rely on our musicianship and natural tone as much as possible without the use of heavy processing, as many popular bands will overuse. Once we have settled on a mix, it’s off to the mastering session.

Mastering Session

Mastering adds the finishing touches on the mix, such as an EQ or overall level adjustment and once completed the song is considered studio material.

From a creative session to the mastering, the few paragraphs above describe our basic approach.

With any creative art or music, we believe there are no absolutes. If we must use another technique or record live, we may. And even with structure and composition, some of the greatest and most powerful creations arise from total unconventional chaos and the cosmic mindfuck.

The Influence

Here are a few the key albums in our listening bank…

Pink Floyd – Animals

Radiohead – The bends, OK Computer

Grateful Dead- Europe 72, Cornell 77

Phish- Slip Stich and Pass

John Scofield – Uberjam

Allman Brothers – Live at Filmore East

Jimi Hendrix- Blues

Jazz is Dead- Blue Light Rain

Miles Davis- We Want Miles, Sorcerer

Frank Zappa- Hot Rats, Overnite Sensation

Stevie Wonder- Innervisions

Dire Straits- Live at Alchemy

Green Day-Dookie

Weezer- Blue Album

Primus- Brown Album, People Should Not Try To Act Like Animals

The Doors- Greatest Hits

Frank Sinatra – Live at the Sands

The earliest experiments were hesitant and clunky, as the musicians struggled to escape their usual and familiar chordal and rhythmic jazz frameworks and “patterns” of playing, while attempting to create something unknown, something truly fresh. As they continued to work this process week by week, new, natural “patterns” began to emerge and assert themselves. For example, the four players found that they would consistently create musical pieces that had apparent structure. Thirty-five to forty minute musical pieces would materialize that had three or more clearly defined movements, each with an easily discernible beginning, middle, and end. As the process of refined listening continued, a continual stream of new musical information began to flow through and inform these flexible movements, seemingly regulating itself in some unknown manner, so that the players would each fully exercise their creative contributions, and yet all somehow end up in the same musical “place” consistently. Previous constraints such as time signature and key signature became essentially irrelevant, as the musicians began to play in unusual, mixed keys and rhythms. Pure, coordinated inspiration became the new “glue” holding the pieces together. It was always apparent when a particular piece was complete, and the players would reach a natural ending together and simply stop playing, at once.

The fruit of these years of musical experiment and growth are now represented in Neon Egypt, a continuing collaboration of just two members of the ground breaking group Tabula Rasa. Neon Egypt’s music is fully and spontaneously improvised, and recorded live without overdubs or retakes.

Influences: Wayne Shorter, Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders, Cal Tjader, Joe Morello, Don Lamond, Ed Shaughnes