[4] Jones was inspired by Jazz musicians Saxophonist Sonny King, John Stowell and Mel Brown as well as Jim Pepper and David Friesen who would help establish his early career.
[7] Jones moved to New York City in 1984 and as a tenant of the same Brooklyn apartment building as Jim Pepper and bassist Ben Wolfe,[8] where he organized many jam sessions.
In 1985 while still in New York City, Jones met Canadian Saxophonist Phil Dwyer and they both performed as members of the David Friesen trio, a tenure which lasted into the next decade.
During his time in Europe, Jones also continued to tour with The David Friesen Trio[13] throughout the U.S. and extensively up and down the West Coast[13] as well as additional dates in Canada with Kenny Wheeler.
[3] As a composer, Jones' work was described by music critic Jim Strupp as "intelligent explorations on familiar jazz forms" whose "arrangements are interesting and accessible".
The result was a jazz and world music infused score for dance and theater[19] the sound track of which was released independently on Jones' own label record.
[28] Students have been involved in projects ranging from collaborating with Michael Curry on multimedia stage presentations,[29] playing at international jazz festivals and has received prestigious scholarships.