Michael Jones (1942 – 19 January 2022) was a British-born Canadian
new-age
New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars consid ...
pianist and composer, known for his improvisational new age performance style. He was also a writer and leadership educator.
Personal life
Jones was born in
Surrey, England
Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
, and grew up in
Kitchener and later
Queenston, Ontario
Queenston is a compact rural community and unincorporated place north of Niagara Falls in the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. It is bordered by Highway 405 to the south and the Niagara River to the east; its location at the eponymo ...
.
["New Age Music"]
''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. He died on 19 January 2022, at the age of 79
at Mariposa House Hospice in
Orillia, Ontario
Orillia () is a city in Ontario, Canada, about 30 km (18 mi) north-east of Barrie in Simcoe County. It is located at the confluence of Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Although it is geographically located within Simcoe County, the city is a sin ...
.
Career
Jones' first album, ''Pianoscapes'', was released on the newly formed
Narada
Narada (, ), or Narada Muni, is a sage-divinity, famous in Hinduism, Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. He is one of the Manasputra, mind-created children of Brahma, the creator ...
record label.
The album sold more than 100,000 copies.
Since then he has released more than a dozen albums of piano music. In 1990 he conducted a concert tour.
He published three books about creative leadership; the most recent is ''The Soul of Place: Re-imagining Leadership Through Nature Art and Community''. Jones was a columnist for the business and leadership website, ''Management - Issues''. He often combined the two sides of his career by performing his compositions at leadership conferences.
In 2015 Jones co-chaired the Mariposa Roundtable, an initiative to improve the economy of Orillia through increased tourism.
Original discography
*''Michael's Music'' (Pianoscapes, 1981)
** Reissued as ''Pianoscapes'' (Narada, 1983)
*''Windsong'' (Antiquity, 1983)
*''Seascapes'' (Narada, 1984)
*''Wind and Whispers'' (Sona Gaia, 1985)
*''Solstice'' (Narada, 1985)
*''Sunscapes'' (Narada, 1986)
*''Amber'' (Narada, 1987)
*''After the Rain'' (Narada, 1988)
*''Magical Child'' (Narada, 1990)
*''Michael's Music'' (Narada, 1990)
*''Morning in Medonte'' (Narada, 1992)
*''Air Born'' (Narada, 1994)
*''Touch'' (Narada, 1996)
*''The Living Music'' (Narada, 1998)
*''Echoes of Childhood'' ( Pianoscapes, 2002)
"Album Review: Almost Home"
''Mainly Piano'', Review by Michael Debbage
*''Almost Home'' (Pianoscapes, 2006)
*''Deep Song'' (Pianoscapes, 2015)
Compilation appearances
*''The Living Music'' (Narada 1998)
*''20 Years of Narada Piano
''20 Years of Narada Piano'' is a 2001 compilation release by Narada. It peaked at #12 on Billboard's Top New Age album charts in the same year.
Track listing
*1.1 "Endings" – Michael Jones – 5:33
*1.2 "Sunrise" – Kostia ...
''
* ''Grand Piano'' (Narada Anniversary Collection)
*''Pianoscapes The Deluxe Edition'' (Narada 2002)
Books
*
*''Creating an Imaginative Life'' Trafford (1995, 2006)
*''Artful Leadership, Awakening the Commons of the Imagination'' Trafford (2006)
*''The Soul of Place:Re-Imagining Leadership Through Nature, Art and Community'' Friesen Press (2014)
See also
*List of ambient music artists
This is a list of ambient music artists. This includes artists who have either been very important to the genre or have had a considerable amount of exposure (such as those who have been on a major label). This list does not include little-known ...
References
External links
*
Pianoscapes
Thesoulofplace
/ Obituary, The Globe and Mail
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Michael
1942 births
2022 deaths
21st-century Canadian male musicians
21st-century Canadian pianists
Canadian male pianists
Musicians from Ontario
Canadian composers
Canadian male composers
Composers for piano
New-age pianists
Narada Productions artists