Finding a Jazzy beat is not difficult especially when it's swinging hard. Your heart-pulse goes faster, your feet start nagging; fingers snapping to the hot groove. And before you can say "get-me-to-the-church-on-Wednesday", there's a flurry of jazz sounds that propel a mighty groove coming from the alto saxophone of Jesse Jones Jr.

The road to becoming a musician can have odd beginnings. That may the case of master musician--saxophonist, flutist, composer and all-around entertainer Jesse Jones Jr. as he recounts one of his first early memories of listing to Jazz sounds through a window coming from a practicing musician at a neighbor's house. Who was that musician? I wonder...

A native of Miami, Florida, Jones managed to capture the pure essence of Jazz as a child while listening and playing along with recordings of the legendary saxophonist "Cannonball" Adderley. This experience and many years of unwavering dedication to the art of Jazz have served to transform Jesse into one of the best Jazz instrumentalists in the South Florida area. Jones's formidable talent can be heard and felt on his latest CD titled "The So Then Collection."

Jazz fans are sure to be delighted and surprised with the array of songs that not only demonstrate the skill of a seasoned musician--also touching on different Jazz rhythms with a distinct flavor and accent highlighting the Miami Jazz sound. It is also noteworthy to mention Jesse's fine crew of musicians that make the music come alive--including: pianist Silvano Monasterios; bassist Paul Shewchuk; and drummer James Cotman.

Among all the outstanding musicians, the collaboration of Jones and his brother--the great trumpet player Melton Mustafa--makes this CD an instant classic. The first song which is composed by Jones entitled "Cannon B" sets the pace for some hard-bopping Jazz featuring Mustafa's impressive swinging style.

Suddenly, Jones and crew are breaking-it-down with a Latin Jazz Cha-Cha groove song that almost makes you dance called "It's Better Than Cool." Check that...it WILL make you dance!

But, Jones is just beginning to warm up as he breaks into a blues-funk that he sings called "Having You is a Blessing." It is apparent that Jesse's tone of voice is influenced by gospel sounds as it levitates the music with high inspiration. Jones stretches his versatile talent on other tracks featuring his melodious flute sound and superb work on soprano saxophone "The phrase 'so then' is something that my father used to say from time to time as he spoke", recalls Jones in-between songs during a recent performance a Van Dyke Cafe. "And that is how the title track song "So Then" came to be."

After many years of honing his talent, Jones continues to perform throughout South Florida and abroad. No doubt that Jesse Jones Jr. is blessed with extraordinary musical prowess as evident on his CD.

But equally important, Jesse possesses a warm and humble personality that is always reflective through his authentic musical performances, as well as offstage. Miami is so lucky to have Jesse Jones Jr.