The passion and perseverance of Vince Jones

LRGEND of Australian jazz Vince Jones returns to the region and will perform with his quintet at Byron Theatre on April 10.

The multi-award-winning singer, trumpeter, and composer still tours relentlessly and in his 50th year in business is in the final stages of his 26th record and a book.

The ardent environmentalist never strays far from the sea. Speaking with this masthead from his NSW South Coast idyll where he lives with his partner and their two daughters, Jones is deeply satisfied by the life they have built, home schooling their children and treading lightly on the land as he has always done – the opposite to his touring life.

“We work in the garden together a lot. The girls put in an hour a day into the garden as part of their schoolwork,” Jones said.

“They enjoy it, the growing of food and managing the ecosystem, it’s important.”

Born in Glasgow, the Jones family emigrated to Australia at 11. Growing up listening to his musician parents’ collection of jazz albums, Jones began as a bebop trumpet player in the 1970s Melbourne club circuit.

Reflecting on his career longevity, Jones recalled the once thriving scene with hundreds of regular jazz players that had dwindled to a handful able to sustain a living within 20 years.

“You need to be completely driven, impassioned by music and nothing else,” he said.

“That’s what’s kept me going – to be an artist. Great artists throughout history never work for profit.

“With a degree of sacrifice, it’s always been my calling and drive.

“I always knew I’d do this till I dropped or till I could no longer play.

“It’s a desire for that cacophony of uniting people and that beautiful impact of music.

“I watch people’s faces, and sometimes it looks like strange things are happening in their souls when they listen.”

The ‘maverick troubadour’ is never shy about sharing his views on world affairs, the human condition, nature, and the environment. He embodies the saying ‘the political is personal, and the personal is political’.

“I just do what I do. I’ve always got songs in my head, constantly coming from within.

“I’m trying to write about the politics of our age and the impacts of our population.

“An idea comes up, and I will build a song around that. I’m always looking for several meanings in a phrase. Different people perceive a song differently,” he said.

With his highly anticipated book, Fortune’s Pet, in the works, the artist is poised to dive deep into the process.

“Each chapter is based on one of my songs like Jettison, Rainbow Cake and Trustworthy Little Sweethearts. That’s what I’m most proud of – that the songs have lasted the test of time,” he said.

For tickets, head to byroncentre.com.au/theatre-events/the-vince-jones-quintet