J.Jones

I have know idea how to write a review but what I can tell you is that your voice is amazing... I found myself "lost" in the enchanting, soulful sound of your voice. You have great lyrics that give pause for thought and beatiful background music that further "reels" one in! A very intoxicatingly smooth sound......... Great!!

Take care,
Katty - MySpace

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MAKING A RECORD OF NOTE: Local duo looks to score with homemade album

RANDOLPH - Jared Jones and Ezemdi Chikwendu are hoping to break into the music business.
The duo hopes to finish its first professional album this month. It was recorded in the studio at Chikwendu's Karen Street home in Randolph.
The project doesn't stop there. Rather than hope to land a contract with a record company, the 19-year-old college students have formed their own company, Speak-EZ Music, to produce and promote the album.
‘‘Why not? This is what we do. This is our passion,'' said Jones, who is a sophomore majoring in marketing at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.
Jones doesn't want to give up the creative control that comes with a record deal or give up the ownership of their product.
Jones has researched the music business and even wrote a paper on the pitfalls of recording contracts for one of his college classes. "I didn't want to be ignorant to the business,'' Jones said.
So while they finish work on the music, they're trying to line up financing to get the album mastered and the CDs made, and purchase equipment so they can go on the road and promote the album through shows at colleges in the area.
‘‘We know it is going to take a lot,'' Jones said.
The two met while they were students at Randolph High School.
Both have been writing songs since they were 13. Chikwendu said he's ‘‘lost count'' of how many songs he's written. ‘‘I'll wake up in the middle of the night, I'll hear something and I'll go over and record it,'' said Chikwendu, who now studies at Massasoit Community College but will transfer to the Berklee College of Music next year. ‘‘We feed off each other,'' Jones said. ‘‘I'll take a quick idea, play three notes, and he can take it and run with it.''

Their music is mainly r&b and pop, with a little jazz, soul and urban mixed in. They hope to include some gospel songs.
Jones plays a little piano and drums, while Chikwendu plays piano, organ, guitar, bass, drums, trumpet and trombone. Jones started singing in church choirs but wanted to go more in his own direction.
‘‘It was something inside me,'' he said. ‘‘I needed to sing.''
While at Randolph High, Jones and Chikwendu were part of a quartet, True Talent. They also recorded and sold their first album, selling 80 copies to friends and classmates.
‘‘It was a little thing, but now we want to do it professionally,'' Jones said. ‘‘I love performing. I love having the opportunity to perform.''

Major record companies have been hit hard by Internet piracy, but Jones doesn't see it as a problem.
‘‘It's extra promotion for us, even though people are downloading for free, so we're not fearing that,'' he said. ‘‘Now, everyone in the world gets to listen to our music.'' Some of the songs can be heard online at soundclick.com/jaredjones.
Jones and Chikwendu know that the music is a major factor in the success or failure of their fledgling company. Once their songs find an audience, they have to touch a listener in some way, Jones said.
‘‘When you connect with people, the money will come,'' he said.
They hope to have the album on sale by the end of the year.

Fred Hanson may be reached at fhanson@ledger.com.
Copyright 2005 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted Friday, July 01, 2005
- The Patriot Legder