Cameron Jones - Guitarist
New Album, Hold On To Hope, Now Available
Hi Everyone,
I’m very happy to announce the upcoming release of the new album, Hold On To Hope, on Tuesday, 24th March.
The recording brings together a collection of French, Sinti, American jazz and Italian melodies that I’ve gathered over many years, alongside one of my own compositions that has travelled with me through different bands, places and stages of life. Much of this music has lived on the bandstand for a long time, gradually evolving and settling before eventually finding its way into the studio.
All of the tunes were recorded live to capture the interplay and energy the ensemble has been developing since the project began in 2017, and mixed to highlight them from the listener’s perspective.
This music comes from a long and deeply rooted tradition, and I approach it with great respect for the culture it comes from. At the same time, it’s shaped by my own musical accent as someone from Western Sydney, inspired by the French, Belgian and Dutch masters of this style of guitar playing. Much of this repertoire was learned late at night in campsites in France and the Netherlands, in bars, and along the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris — places where melodies are shared from one musician to another and where, for a while, time seems to stand still. As my friend Jon Delaney once described it, these are moments played “with one foot on the ground and the other stomping the earth.” Each tune carries a memory, a feeling, and a great deal of personal significance, a bit like revisiting familiar places or looking through a collection of postcards.
Many thanks to Sean Carey for his production and engineering, to Peter Malone, Oscar Peterson and Carolyn Packer for their generous musicianship and for helping shape the arrangements into something truly ensemble-driven, to Jeff Young for his input and help with the cover design and to Mark Allerton for his ongoing support.
I’m looking forward to sharing the music with you soon.
The album is now available for pre-purchase on Bandcamp via the button.
Gig Dates.
Biography
Cameron Jones is a guitarist, composer, festival director and educator based in Sydney, Australia. With his Selmer-style guitar, he harnesses the vibrancy of authentic manouche jazz. He uses percussive guitar rhythms to complement bright, expressive melodies.
A manouche jazz storyteller
Five annual pilgrimages across Europe saw Jones returning to the source of the genre. There, he traced the footsteps of jazz legend Django Reinhardt. It earned him the finest training any manouche guitarist could hope for: mentorship from the late Reinhardt’s family and friends.
The result is a rare depth of authenticity that Jones brings to his repertoire in Australia. He introduces songs with tales of original time and place. In the true spirit of gypsy jazz, nothing about Jones’ performances is repetitive. Audiences listen in anticipation as he follows each piece in the moment. It’s dangerously spontaneous.
'I am most impressed with his understanding and execution of the Gypsy Swing style.’
Hank B Marvin | Lead guitarist for The Shadows
Influences and Collaborators
Jones studied manouche jazz abroad with French and Dutch masters, including Fapy Lafertin, Paulus Schäfer, Romino Grundhotz, Nous’che Rosenberg, David Reinhardt (grandson of Django Reinhardt), Samy Daussat and Stephane Wremble.
He’s toured and performed with European artists Robin Nolan (UK), Lollo Meier (Netherlands) , Irene Ypenberg (Netherlands), Denis Chang (Japan) and Daniel John Martin (France)
In Australia, Jones thrives on gigs with like-minded musicians. He’s a member of Spyglass Gypsies and Gadjo Guitars and has performed with Daniel Weltlinger, Ian Date and Ewan McKenzie.
OzManouche
OzManouche is a festival held every year at the iconic Brisbane Jazz Club. As its creative director, Jones wants to see more Australians enjoy the energy of manouche jazz. His vision is to provide a welcoming and inclusive space for musicians at every level, just as the original manouche clan did.
‘Cameron can really swing and is masterfully representing Django’s music down under.’
Robin Nolan | World-renowned gypsy jazz guitarist
Cameron Jones is endorsed by AER Amplifiers
SelectedRecordings
Acquiesce (August 2023)
Drawn From Memory (January 2023)
The Waterfall Way (August 2018)
Carolyn Packer - Time To Feel Love (Feb 2024)
Daniel Weltlinger - Koblenz (Oct 2014)
The String Cartel - Dukkah (Sept 2017)
Spyglass Gypsies - Voyages (Dec 2017)
Carolyn Packer’s Stompin’ Rhythm Aces - There Will Be Some Changes Made (Jan 2018)
Gadjo Guitars - Two Down, One Up ( Jan 2014)
La Mauvaise Réputation - Live At OzManouche
(July 2023)
Contact
Email Me Here
Spyglass Gypsies
(Feb 2014)
Carolyn Packer’s Stompin’ Rhythm Aces - Sweet Substitute (Jan 2020)
Gadjo Guitars - Turned on, Tuned in & Dropped Out (Dec 2015)
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