Michael Jones (Canadian musician)

Michael Jones (1942 – 19 January 2022) was a British-born Canadian new-age pianist and composer, known for his improvisational new age performance style.[1] He was also a writer and leadership educator.

Michael Jones
Background information
Born1942
Died (aged 79)
GenresNew-age
Occupation(s)Composer, Pianist, Author, Lecturer
InstrumentPiano
Years activec. 1980–2022
LabelsPianoscapes, Inc.
Narada
Websitewww.pianoscapes.com,[1]

Personal life

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Jones was born in Surrey, England, and grew up in Kitchener and later Queenston, Ontario.[2] He died on 19 January 2022, at the age of 79[3] at Mariposa House Hospice[4] in Orillia, Ontario.

Career

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Jones' first album, Pianoscapes, was released on the newly formed Narada record label.[5] The album sold more than 100,000 copies.[6] Since then he has released more than a dozen albums of piano music.[7] In 1990 he conducted a concert tour.[2]

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.[8]

Original discography

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  • Michael's Music (Pianoscapes, 1981)
    • Reissued as Pianoscapes (Narada, 1983)[9]
  • Windsong (Antiquity, 1983)
  • Seascapes (Narada, 1984)[10]
  • Wind and Whispers (Sona Gaia, 1985)
  • Solstice (Narada, 1985)[11]
  • Sunscapes (Narada, 1986)[12]
  • 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)[13]
  • Almost Home (Pianoscapes, 2006)
  • Deep Song (Pianoscapes, 2015)

Compilation appearances

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Books

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  • Michael Jones (1 January 1991). Solos and Sketches for New Age Piano. Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation. ISBN 978-0-7935-0059-8.
  • Creating an Imaginative Life Trafford (1995, 2006) ISBN 978-1-57324-011-6
  • Artful Leadership, Awakening the Commons of the Imagination Trafford (2006) ISBN 1-4120-8578-0
  • The Soul of Place:Re-Imagining Leadership Through Nature, Art and Community Friesen Press (2014) ISBN 9781460237960

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Free to be Creative at the Piano. New Age Piano Lessons. pp. 157–. GGKEY:42ZU363U7R3.
  2. ^ a b "New Age Music". The Canadian Encyclopedia.
  3. ^ "This Week In Art/Culture/Entertainment". The Orilla Sun Online. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  4. ^ https://www.MariposaHouseHospice.com [bare URL]
  5. ^ Maria Armoudian (6 April 1996). "Look for these New Age labels". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 51–. ISSN 0006-2510.
  6. ^ "Major labels move quickly". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 25 October 1986. pp. 1–. ISSN 0006-2510.
  7. ^ "Music earns Michael Jones a second career". Orillia Sun, 26 April 1988, page 4
  8. ^ "Orillia’s industrial economy is a thing of the past; group focusing on future opportunities". By Dave Dawson, Orillia Packet & Times, 8 October 2015
  9. ^ Mother Jones. Foundation for National Progress. 1983. p. 62.
  10. ^ "Reviews: Pop - Recommended". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 12 January 1985. pp. 101–. ISSN 0006-2510.
  11. ^ Keith Tuber (December 1988). The New Age of David Lanz. Emmis Communications. pp. 356–. ISSN 0279-0483. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  12. ^ Linda Moleski (30 August 1986). "Grass Routes". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 56–. ISSN 0006-2510.
  13. ^ "Album Review: Almost Home". Mainly Piano, Review by Michael Debbage
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