“Although my stay there was brief due to some ongoing political turmoil, I grew to love Indian music, especially the use of raga, a melodic framework for improvisation,” Jones said.
“It has got a special place in my heart.
“Musicians such as the famed Ravi Shankar was a delight to listen to and his depth of musical knowledge was praiseworthy.”
His raga “Bird Without Song” is one of the several multi-dimensional pieces of music that utilises such fusion.
“As an artist I don't get too cerebral. I just let the music flow. “
Jones was born in London to a mother from Yorkshire and a Nigerian father.
Music is about enveloping human interest stories or personal experiences that strike a chord with society, Jones said.
“It's about exploring my roots and what it means to have parents of English and African descent.”
He credits his dad for creating his connection to music.
When Jones was a child, his father worked as a dustman.
“He used to collect the dustbins and he would often come home with bicycles that people had thrown out.”
Along with his two siblings, a young Jones would join his father to fix them.
On the days when their father worked overtime, he would treat the kids by bringing home a new single or LP that they could play on their record player.
“One day he brought home some iconic pieces by Ray Charles. It was awesome to listen to and knocked me for six.”
Jones learned to play the guitar at 11, and he would often sneak out to concerts with his friends.
Two years later he found his way — as a spectator — into the Royal Albert Hall in London where the legendary Bob Dylan was performing.
“You could hear a pin drop in a packed hall of 10,000 people. Everyone was dazzled by his music which was socially and politically charged. His songs put a shiver down the back of your spine.
“I was not the same after that. It really changed my life.”
In 1980, Jones went to play in Switzerland and fell in love with the country and the people. It was there that he met his Swiss wife and moved to Zürich.
That's when his real music career began, he said.
Over the years he shared the stage and toured with some of the best, including BB King, Bob Dylan, Taj Mahal and Keb Mo.
He was commissioned by the Erziehungsdirektion Zürich (Ministry of Education in Switzerland) to hold hundreds of music workshops in schools and workshops for QUIMS schools (multi-ethnic schools) with great success. His touring area widened to other countries such as Europe, Australia, the USA and Canada.
His memorable songs include Bird Without Song, which is based on a friend who committed suicide when he was a teenager.
Jones remembers being asked to perform that song at a workshop.
“The producers told me that the school had lost a student through suicide. That kid was only 17.
“They wanted to hear from someone who has experienced the same pain and for me it was very moving.
“That's why I love music, as it can connect people and give fulfilment like no other.”
Paul Ubana Jones: singer and acoustic guitar virtuoso with a contemporary style, influenced by blues, rock, folk and jazz. Lawson Field Theatre, Saturday, 7.30pm. Tickets from $40+bf at tinyurl.com/bdzccmhe or Gisborne i-SITE.
