Today we’d like to introduce you to Darryl Evan Jones

Hi Darryl Evan, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?

I was introduced to music when I was 8 years old. I don’t know if my parents ever imagined I would pursue music beyond school or church. Yet, here we are. I received private lessons, played in the school band, and of course, in church. Being an undersized 8-year-old, I was constantly teased. This led to what’s likely been a lifelong confidence problem. As I grew up, I would enjoy playing the flute along with songs on the radio. Playing in public always stirred feelings of unease and uncertainty.
I wasn’t sure if my playing made sense. I knew of the greats, like Hubert Laws, Dave Valentin, etc., but would never listen to them. I just knew it was pointless, since I never thought I’d be good enough to play professionally. Somehow, I couldn’t put my flute down for extended periods of time. As the years rolled by, I played my flute sparingly while trying to balance the demands of being a husband and father, as well as the career demands of being a commercial aircraft mechanic. I was in my late twenties or early thirties when I began to wonder if I was actually good enough to be a recording artist. I had no idea how to definitively answer that question. So along the way, I made just about every mistake one could make. My first taste of club performance occurred in Providence RI, when a longtime family friend named Sam Harold invited me to go playing with him. We arrived at a spot called “Snubs”, where he knew the leader of the band booked to play that day. Sam made the introduction and I was allowed to sit in with the band. The place was pretty packed, but not a lot of attention was being directed towards the band. It was pretty funny to see all the heads turn when I played my first solo. It was a bit of a confirmation for me that I just might be onto something. A little while later, I met a studio owner in Philadelphia named Jim Woodlyn. I can’t even remember how we met, but for some reason, Jim really took a liking to me. In fact, Jim produced my first album, “On My Own” free of charge to me. I’ll never forget Sam or Jim – God rest their souls.

In the years that followed, I appeared on “Showtime At The Apollo”, attended music conferences, read all kinds of books on the industry, auditioned for “America’s Got Talent”, and even “crashed” a Jeffrey Osborne concert. I even tried leaving demo tapes and CDs in the dressing rooms of headlining artists whose shows I worked as a backline tech on.

I would eventually go on to record three more albums, and open shows for Boney James, Howard Hewitt, Kem, and Jeff Lorber. I was most intimidated opening for Jeff Lorber, but decided to just suck it up and go ahead with it. I’m glad I did. It was the first standing ovation I’d ever received. I’m very proud of and am even more grateful for the national and international responses to songs like “On The Run”, “The Grind”, “Road Trip” and “Resilient” from album #4, titled “Resilient”. I’ve been blessed to place on Mediabase, Smoothjaz.club, and Urban Influencer charts. I can’t wait to see what the future holds!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

The road has NEVER been smooth, but it’s all part of the journey. I constantly battle doubt and musical acceptance. I’ve spent so much time being frustrated at not being able to get bookings or feeling ignored by radio. Flute had nearly disappeared from popular music and was nearly taboo in Smooth Jazz. I realized I had a choice to make. Do I just say forget it and walk away or do I find a reason to continue. This wasn’t an easy or instant decision. Through a lot of thought, prayer and soul-searching, it became apparent that quitting wasn’t a viable option at all. People would tell me how my playing made them feel and how much they loved my music. That was it! I learned that the biggest mistake I was making was that I made this all about me. This was NEVER really about me. I felt in my soul that music is what God had commissioned me to do. Through music, I could have a positive effect on people, uplift their spirits, and through it all I was glorifying God. Once I realized the weight of my commission, quitting was no longer an option. To quit wouldn’t mean quitting on myself or even on those who enjoy my music. Quitting would mean quitting on God. How could I ever reckon quitting on God? I wasn’t about to try and find out.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?

Although I am classically trained, I’m a lover of so many kinds and styles of music. I grew up on “church music”, played and still play in church. I also listened to plenty of Chic, Chaka Khan, Earth Wind & Fire, Cameo, Parliament Funkadelic. In addition, I was also exposed to and grew to enjoy my parent’s music which included Kenny Rogers and Chet Atkins. Being a Bronx kid, I couldn’t help but be drawn to the sounds of hip-hop. Some of those sounds permeated my musical psyche. As such, it became necessary to come up with a name for my unique style of playing. The name I came up with is “Instrumental Soul”. Since I am on a mission to share this sound with the world, I am the Ambassador of Instrumental Soul. At my core, I’m actually a Soul singer – I just can’t sing. My flute is my voice. My flute playing is an extension of my very soul. So what people hear from me is as unique as my personality, my voice, or even my fingerprint. I’ve been told by several people how my playing touched them – moved them – deeply affected them. I don’t worry about comparing myself to anyone else. It’s such a waste of time and energy to me. Instead, I just try to be the best, most authentic version of my musical self.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?

For me, there simply is no greater book or collection of books than the Bible. While anyone who is literate can read the Bible, what separates the Bible for me apart from any other literary work is that it’s the source of my faith, and my faith tells me it’s a glimpse into the mind of God himself. Within its pages are the very words of life. One of the things I most appreciate is that regular people (as clearly flawed as they were) served God and the good of their fellow man, despite often overwhelming odds. Of course, the greatest of these is my Lord Jesus himself. To know who you are and where you came from, but still be willing to serve humanity selflessly is the greatest gift and show of character ever! Using the Bible as inspiration, I endeavor to serve humanity through the healing, moving and thought-provoking sounds of music. Few things are able to inspire the way music can and I’ve learned through reading the Bible that our greatest accomplishments are achieved when we serve others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dejmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darrylevanjones/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551827132673
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@iceman54201

Image Credits

Photos by April Abdul-BaaQee