The Rico Jones Group feat. Brad Goode, Essiet Essiet, and Sylvia Cuenca

About

A Colorado native now based in Harlem's Sugar Hill, Rico Jones is a saxophonist, composer, and bandleader who began playing in the gospel band at Denver's Cure d'Ars Church at 13, and that spiritual grounding still shapes his sound. He's studied with George Coleman, Sonny Rollins, Bobby Watson, and Vincent Herring and holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the Manhattan School of Music. He has performed with the Mingus Big Band, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Esperanza Spalding, Terence Blanchard, and Joe Lovano, headlined the Kennedy Center's Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival, and made his Blue Note NYC debut in 2025. His debut album BloodLines (Giant Step Arts, 2025) earned four stars from DownBeat and a place on the magazine's Best Albums of 2025 list.