Robert R Jones is one of the premier Classical Guitarists in the Detroit, Mi, area. Robert founded a very successful company called 'Guitar Interludes', which offers classical guitar services for weddings, corporate events, shows, and other venues. However, Robert is also a first rate composer for the classical/Spanish guitar. He has just released a full lenngth CD entitiled "Vignettes" which contains 10 all original pieces written and performed by Mr. Jones. The Vignettes Album has been critically acclaimed for both the beauty of the music and flowing, intricate style in which the peices are written (many say in with ther same beuaty tone and flair as the old masters). These songs are some of the most requested pieces when he perfoms, even when compared to other guitar "standards". Please read the album notes to see some of the review information and comments people are making. Also, please sample the music (all 10 songs are here). But in the meantime, some history on Robert R Jones...
Robert R Jones was born in 1961 in Detroit. He became interested in music very early and started to play woodwind instruments in elementary school, where he also learned to read music. At about 10 years, his parents bought him his first guitar. Although he continued with other instruments through middle and high schools, it was clear that the guitar was his instrument of choice.
As he entered his teen years he formed several bands and played everywhere he could, honing his skills and teaching himself to master the instrument. As he moved in to his mid to late teen years, he started to develop the desire to write his own music as opposed to playing covers. This would be a theme that permeated his career moving forward. Dedicated to music, he wrote countless songs for his bands. As he grew into his early 20’s, the bands he was playing in were starting to gain some traction in the local Detroit Rock scene not only for the musicians’ talent on the instruments, but also the songs that they were writing. Robert was becoming known as a talented guitar player and more importantly, a gifted composer.
After leaving a band called “The Void”, he started a new rock band called “The Storm”, where the quality of Robert’s song writing became apparent. After receiving local financial backing, the band went in to the studio and cut an EP entitled “The Storm”. After years of hard work, writing, and playing the local bar scene, the band signed with national promotion company out of Miami. The company had got hold of a copy of the EP before going to production and immediately signed The Storm to an exclusive contract.
Although this was a great opportunity for the band (a national tour and backed EP release), it became more of a cross road. The band was starting to get inflated egos and the sudden taste of success started to erode the priorities of the music. Robert was very concerned. When some of the members missed gigs, Robert disbanded the act. This ended not only the band, but the release of the EP as well. After seeing so much hard work and countless hours go up in smoke, he quit playing music and focused on his business career and family.
As the years went by, he began listening again to a style of music that always fascinated him; the Classical Guitar. His love of listening to classical guitar music inspired him to pick up the guitar again, but this time, the Classical Guitar. However, learning the classical guitar would mean almost starting from scratch, especially for a guitarist that did not fingerpick at all.
He went after learning the classical guitar just like he did for the electric guitar; he immersed himself in to the study of the guitar: he bought books, studied techniques, and practiced countless hours. He honed his technique and rapidly developed his skills. The more he played, the more he was drawn to the instrument. He learned new music quickly and his solid ability to read music proved to be a great asset, as he built his classical guitar library and repertoire.
After hearing him play, Robert’s brother asked him to play at his wedding, which he agreed to. He was an instant success. Robert realized that he had progressed much further on the instrument than even he realized.
In about 2005, he went through a divorce- it was a difficult time for him. However, he met his new wife and was remarried. This proved to be catalyst for many things. He formed his classical guitar service “Guitar Interludes”, where he quickly became very successful and known as a gifted Classical Guitarist. Weekends were booked solid, where he performed at countless weddings, parties, and special events. He performed at many corporate and private events at venues like the University of Michigan and The Henry Ford Mansion, just to name a few. He stayed true to the instrument and built his repertoire on pieces mainly written for the classical guitar, introducing many audiences to this beautiful music that most probably never heard before.
However, he still loved to listen to the classical guitar – he was true fan of the instrument. He bought many CD’s and discovered something that began to bother him; there seemed to be a limited group of songs that seemed to reoccur on many CD’s. Many other pieces were transpositions of popular works for other instruments. As he sought new music, he soon discovered that some newer classical guitar music was written to be technical masterpieces to show off the skill of the player, but musically fell flat.
Composers like Albeniz and Tarrega wrote music that touched Robert deep within his soul. Pieces that were beautiful and moving, and could take you from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other within a single song. If the pieces were complex or very technical, they still were beautiful first. To him, this embodied what the classical guitar should be.
Robert’s new wife gave him inspiration to focus on writing. He wrote his first classical piece “Solsiris Serenata”, which was a musical portrait of his wife. The song quickly became an audience favorite at his performances. Robert used his life (past & present) as inspirations to compose other pieces. Some compositions took weeks to complete, others took months. Some were technically difficult, but he always focused on the quality and musicality of the compositions first. After some time had past, he had written many songs; each one inspired by either people or events in his life. A few the compositions were incorporated into an album called “Vignettes”. Some songs, like “Tears of my Heart”, were his way of dealing with great loss (Tears of my Heart was written for the child he and his wife lost during her pregnancy). Other compositions, like “The Honeymoon”, represent great joy.
Robert has remained true to the instrument and to the music it makes. He continues to perform both in the US and abroad and his audiences always feel a “connection” to him and his music,
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