Today we’d like to introduce you to Teddy Jones.
Hi Teddy, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve been drawn to music since a pretty young age, when my mom taught me some piano, and gave me my first few albums. When I was 11, I picked up the tenor saxophone, and instantly felt a deep connection to the instrument.
I went through school band and jazz programs, started performing while I was still in high school, and eventually studied jazz performance at Indiana University. After college, I spent about a decade touring and performing with bands, playing original music and learning what it really means to make a living as a musician.
In 2017, I moved to Nashville, and that opened up a whole new chapter. I started working across a lot of different styles —jazz, blues, rock, country, Americana —and playing everything from live shows to sessions and recording projects.
Over time, I’ve grown from being primarily a saxophone player into a more well-rounded musician—playing, writing, arranging, producing, and creating my own music. At this point, I’m really focused on bringing all those experiences together and developing my own sound and voice as an artist, while continuing to play with as many great musicians as I can.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No road worth traveling is without bumps. Sacrifice tends to be a big theme. Early on you sacrifice social time for practice time; steady work for inconsistent, odd hours, often between multiple jobs, all for the chance to pursue the thing that makes most sense to you in this world. Moving to a new area/city/market? Repeat that whole process, and hope you land. The chasm of risk is wide, with very unsure footing, all for the chance to do the thing you love most.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I play saxophone and harmonica with bands on and off Broadway, and write and arrange horn sections live and in studio.
I’m known for my tone and passionate, dynamic delivery. Once the shows starts I don’t stop moving. My goal on stage is to spread my light and get the crowd to feel the music as passionately as I do.
I am most proud of the band I tour in, John Hollier & the Rêverie. It’s been some of the most fun, rewarding, and quality music I’ve ever gotten to be involved with. We all share the same passion for music and connecting with people, and have gotten to play to some amazing crowds, including the New Orleans Jazz Fest. This year we released our album Rainmaker and have been touring it out around the country; twelve states, all four time zones.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
What role luck has to play is such a tricky question. I consider myself lucky every time I get to play, be that on a stage or in a studio. That being said, I believe luck is when preparation meets opportunity. I make sure to keep my musical vernacular as practiced as I can so I am always prepared, no matter the opportunity. So by the odds, yeah, I’m pretty damn lucky to get to do what I do.
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