Shades of Love: An evening with Sean Jones

Cabaret at Theater… Shades of Love: An evening with Sean Jones

Cabaret at Theater Square

Saturday — First show 10 p.m., second show 11:30 p.m.

Tickets: $25.75-$30.75

www.pgharts.org

There’s a reason countless romantic movies feature swinging nightclub scenes and sultry renditions of “My Funny Valentine:” For many people, jazz is a uniquely sensual musical genre.

Consider the words of a jazz detractor of the 1920s, quoted in Ken Burns’ “Jazz: A History of America’s Music:” “It is not music at all. It is merely an irritation of the nerves of hearing, a sensual teasing of the strings of physical passion.”

Nobody today would deny that jazz is music, but most people — whether or not they know John Coltrane’s discography forward and backward — concede that jazz and romance pair naturally.

Sean Jones, a Pittsburgh-area trumpeter, will explore romance by way of jazz on Saturday at Cabaret Theater, where his New York Quintet will present “Shades of Love: An Evening with Sean Jones.”

The concert will feature music from Jones’ new album, No Need for Words, and it isn’t a coincidence that the show will take place shortly before that day of roses and chocolates.

Janis Burley Wilson, director of jazz programs for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, said in an e-mail that Jones has a history of marking Feb. 14 with his music.

“A few years ago, Sean and I collaborated on a Valentine’s Day concert where he worked with a string ensemble. It was beautiful and extremely successful. When Sean told me the theme for his new album, it made sense to work together again on a Valentine’s show, celebrating love and its many phases,” Wilson said.

Jones emphasized that love can’t be reduced to any one feeling, making it a fertile subject for musical treatment.

“I’ve tried to take a few aspects of love and how it makes us feel and characterize those emotions with sound. From anger, to parental protection and care, I’ve tried to express the power of love,” Jones said of his new album.

Jones’ remarks point to another distinctive feature of jazz: its near-inexhaustible variability.

Perhaps this explains why Jones, when asked to describe his sound, was hesitant to categorize it.

“I usually don’t try to define my style or approach it as one thing. It mixes the soul of gospel, the rhythmic complexity of Latin music, the swing of bop and the melodic flow of R&B,” he said in an e-mail.

Jones’ pianist, Orrin Evans, affirmed this variety of influences.

“He’s a product of what he’s learned growing up,” Evans said, labeling his music “a hodgepodge” rather than a distinct subgenre of jazz.

In a single recording or concert, Jones covers a lot of ground. One hears driving bop, cerebral fusion and a touch of precise classicism.

Some of Jones’ eclectic style comes through in his discussion of the trumpeters that inspire him.

“From Louis Armstrong, I’ve taken the importance of celebrating the human spirit and the joy of bringing people together,” he said. “The importance of leading with a distinct voice is Miles Davis’ contribution to my music.”

Jones also cited Clifford Brown and Freddie Hubbard for “their flawless technique.”

All of these elements appear on Jones’ new album, which he says differs subtly from his prior recordings.

“I’ve tried to pinpoint a few items and celebrate them without over-expressing my view. I simply tried to allow the melody to sing throughout each piece,” he said.

One can take this to mean that Jones’ new music is more restrained, but Jones also said that No Need for Words covers the whole spectrum of love, “From the most euphoric feeling, to the heart-wrenching agony of loneliness.”

Evans noted that the album will particularly appeal to listeners “once you get your heart broken and then you fix it.”

“Life inspired a love record,” Evans said.