For those unaware, uncertainty brought on by the pandemic has inspired major life changes as well as creating a sense of urgency when it comes to completing long-gestating projects.

Five years in the making and fifteen years since their last release, jazz ensemble The Jones Factor committed to finishing their third album, The Time is Now, as soon as pandemic restrictions eased and the ten-piece horn-powered band could gather safely in the studio.

The contemporary jazz collection comprised of original compositions and inventively arranged covers, produced by the group’s Dave Anderson and John Fumasoli and is being released on July 15th, 2022.

1. Past Ports
2. Pools
3. When He Calls
4. Hall of Mirrors
5. Better Left a Memory
6. All That I Need
7. Summertime
8. Those City Ways
9. Chorale

The album opens on the gently free flowing rhythms of Past Ports (Yellowjackets) and the more pronounced, quieter nodes within Pools (Step’s Ahead) and is the seamlessly followed by the rhythmic ambiance of the original composition When He Calls (written by Harris’s late wife), the upbeat and groovy Hall of Mirrors (by Bela Fleck and here featuring multiple Grammy nominee and three-time Emmy winner Chieli Minucci) and the soft embrace of Better Left a Memory.

Next up is one of my own personal favorites from this new collection, the foot-tapping sunshine within All That I Need which is windows down, top off, summer’s country lane drive of Summertime, the beautiful ensemble piece Those City Ways (where no less that seven soloists get to shine), the album rounding out on the ornate melodies housed within the breathtakingly beautiful Chorale.

Trombonist Fumasoli formed The Jones Factor (originally called The Jazz Collective) in 1986 with bassist Anderson joining shortly thereafter. Horn heavy, they described themselves as a little big band and together, they crafted over one hundred charts spanning various shades of jazz; including contemporary, bop and hard bop as well as Latin, blues, funk and even hip-hop grooves.

The unique instrumentation allows for a wide variety of textures, colors and sounds while the diversity of the unit’s players makes for exciting performances and imaginative improvisation.

The challenge inherent for a band comprised of busy first-call musicians who have played with jazz, pop and R&B legends galore, as well as prominent orchestras, symphonies and ballets is being able to gather all the members at the same time, in the same place.

Thus, work on their albums takes a while and they were about three years into recording The Time is Now when the pandemic slowed the process to a halt. But as soon as the band got the greenlight to get back to work, The Jones Factor returned to the studio with a renewed impetus to finish the project.

The album title comes from the fact that we were moving along great with our recording and then COVID hit. Like so many others in the music world, our lives were deeply disrupted and so we got to the point of saying that this album has to come out now. We cannot wait any longer, no matter what!, Fumasoli explains.

Honestly, it was as much about getting off our butts and getting this music out there as it was about the pandemic. The album is too good to sit on!

The Time is Now features 16 musicians, including ten horn players and guest guitarists Chieli Minucci (Special EFX) and John Tropea. Anderson’s elastic basslines anchor the rhythm section fortified by drummers Joel Rosenblatt (Spyro Gyro) and Thierry Arpino.

Pianist Rob Aries adds to the melodies, but the focal point of The Jones Factor is the layers of mighty horns, astutely deployed and meticulously arranged.

Fumasoli teams with Bill Harris (tenor saxophonist, flute), Ken Gioffre (soprano and alto sax, flute), Jason Polise (tenor sax, bass clarinet), Don Hayward (bass trombone), Janet Wendholt (French horn), Tony Kadleck (trumpet, flugelhorn), Scott Wendholt (tempet, flugelhoen), Don Harris (trumpet, flugelhorn), and Ben Kibbey (trumpet, flugelhorn).

Official Purchase Link