Nayo Jones will perform a Natalie Cole tribute concert at the New Orleans Jazz Museum on Wednesday, January 24 at 7:00pm. Tickets are $10.50 and available at the door (cash) or online here.
About Nayo Jones:
Nayo Jones (pronounced Nīyō) was born in Chicago, Illinois into a family of musicians and destined to be in show business. Her parents noticed her musical gift at an early age. As an accomplished jazz musician and music educator, her father William “Doc” Jones groomed and nurtured her natural ability from the very beginning. Thanks to her father’s love of jazz, Ms. Jones grew up listening to standards that proved to be a solid foundation and would later become a signature in her own show. Though she doesn’t play much any more, Nayo Jones is a classically trained flutist. She’d go on to compete on a state level throughout high school on into her college years. Growing up Nayo Jones would even join her dad on stage to play with him and his jazz band. Additionally, at her mother’s insistence, Jones sang in the gospel choir at church but would never take solos since she was and still is ironically very shy.
A graduate of Spelman College, in Atlanta, Georgia, Nayo Jones though still in love with music focused her life on the corporate world not realizing music was still her in destiny. On a whim, Nayo Jones found herself back on her musical journey. No longer able to ignore her calling, Ms. Jones sang for an event to help her dad raise funds benefiting his non-profit music organization in Phoenix, Arizona. The audience received Ms. Jones with joy and jubilation; stage fright aside, she enjoyed singing for them as much as they loved having her. Ms. Jones didn’t realize it then but that day was the beginning of her-story. To date, Nayo Jones wows her audiences (large and small) and consistently gains loyal fans with her sultry voice and her obvious passion for every note she sings. Nayo Jones debuted at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2012 where she has appeared annually since then. Ms. Jones has opened for such greats as Chris Botti, Otis & the Temptations, The Whispers & Lakeside. In addition to her own show, Ms. Jones currently tours alongside New Orleans’ iconic jazz trumpeter, Kermit Ruffins. Though still a babe in the music industry she already has the savvy of some of the most classic female artists and has proven to be a force to be reckoned with. Ms. Jones has an extraordinary ability to capture her audience and keep them in a trance every time she hits the stage. Nayo Jones continues to cherish those classic tunes she heard growing up and is committed to bringing back the “authenticity of music” each time she performs. Her fans have compared her to the likes of Natalie Cole, Roberta Flack and even Billy Holiday as she belts out tunes from jazz standards to adult R&B.
Nayo Jones is featured on the latest album release by Kermit Ruffins, #imsoneworleans. Her body of work also includes her first original album “My Name is Nayo Jones”, a “Holiday Collection” and her EP simply titled “Nayo”. Jones is currently in the studio working on her first Jazz album. Stay tuned...