Rodney Jones

Rodney Jones is a jazz guitarist, composer, educator, author, and spiritual speaker. A 2024 Guggenheim Fellow in music composition, he brings decades of performing, recording, and teaching into a body of work that connects musical discovery with the inner life.

Born in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1956, Rodney began playing guitar at eight. Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, and Curtis Mayfield were early influences. The blues and the rhythmic language of soul remained important as his interests expanded into jazz and the harmonic possibilities suggested by John Coltrane and McCoy Tyner.

His career has included work with Dizzy Gillespie, Lena Horne, Jaki Byard, and Chico Hamilton. As a leader, his recordings range from the soul-jazz of Soul Manifesto and the straight-ahead setting of Right Now to the extended improvisational investigations of Sound Explorations and The Infinity of Things. His collaborators across the catalog include Maceo Parker, Dr. Lonnie Smith, George Coleman, Kenny Kirkland, Marcus Miller, and many other distinctive musical voices.

Music as a place of discovery
Alongside his jazz recordings, Rodney creates contemplative music shaped by his spiritual life. Albums such as Devotion, The Beloved, and The Lux Aeterna invite quiet listening and personal reflection. The intention is to offer listeners room to discover their own response.

Teaching the next generation
Rodney has taught at The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music. Through lessons, classes, and guitar books, he shares an approach to learning that brings listening, technique, imagination, and individual expression into the same practice. His music books include 58 Lines, Hip Guitar Lines, and Beyond the Notes.

Writing and the inner life
His published writing includes The Monastery, The Moment of Deciding, The Quiet Yes, The Last Bell, and The Raindrop. Across his books and spiritual talks, he returns to questions of love, awareness, service, and the lessons found in everyday experience.

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