"We are not alone, but we are few"

-- Norris "Sirone" Jones

Floating On Light

By WILLIAM PARKER

I first met Sirone in the spring of 1972. I was waiting outside of Washington square church on West 4th street, anticipating a concert of new music by tenor saxophonist, Frank Lowe. I was on the steps of the church as a checkered cab pulled up. Sirone jumps out of the cab, first taking out a Ampeg B15 bass amplifier, then his bass; a serious man whose first commitment is to music. I offer to help with the amplifier and Sirone carried the bass. I sat down and watched a very colorful Frank Lowe set up his thunder sheet while Ted Daniel oiled his trumpet. A little after 4 o’clock the music began. It took off like a rocket ship. Frank’s blowing some cosmic reflections of a world where music is allowed to be itself. Sirone is underneath each tone, playing from the top of the bass to he bottom. He moved across the strings strumming, humming, with that thick dry vibrant sound that echoes through the entire history of black music. We can hear the field hollers and the church of sound that accepts the blues. This might be the new R&B; Sirone’s eyes rolled back as he entered the trance regions. That afternoon I received a first glimpse into the tone world that would change my life. Later we discussed the possibilities of floating on light. In 1974 when we both played in Cecil Taylor’s Orchestra. Sirone soared into the highest realms, showing us what it was all about. There were other meetings throughout the years. I remember when both of Sirone’s parents died, one after the other, within the same year. We talked about death and returning home to an America that was sliding in the wrong direction. Maybe it was said that we don’t belong here that we were just visitors on this planet stopping to refuel our souls. Sirone was an original thinker and mover as the bassist, Mark Dresser told me once, “Sirone took a solo that was frightening.“ This is true Sirone was one of the deepest musicians on the bass and as a composer. He never made any sacrifices. Sirone always gave his all, playing as if his life depended on it. The last time we spoke, it was about meditation and keeping an apartment in New York. We finished off gravitating to a familiar theme, floating on light and how the music is bigger than us and will continue after we are all gone. Dear Brother Sirone we will always miss you.

We will never really know the scope of his vision.

Sirone

September 28, 1940 (Atlanta) - October 21, 2009 (Berlin)

Born in Atlanta in 1940, Sirone worked in the late 1950s and early 1960s with "The Group" alongside George Adams. On bass as well as his first instrument trombone, Sirone recorded with R&B musicians such as Smokey Robinson, Sam Cooke, and Jerry Butler(with whom Sirone co-wrote the song "It's too late"). Encouraged by fellow Atlantan ad collaborator Marion Brown, Sirone moved to New York City in the mid-1960s, where he co-founded the "Untraditional Jazz improvisation Team" with Dave Burrell. He also worked with Marion Brown, Gato Barbieri, Paroah Sanders, Noah Howard, Sonny Sharrock, Andrew Cyrille, Sunny Murray, Albert Ayler, Archie Shepp, and Sun Ra, among others.

In 1971, Sirone co-founded the Revolutionnary Ensemble with Leroy Jenkins and Jerome Cooper, which was active for much of the decade. In the 1970s, and early 1980s Sirone recorded with Clifford Thornton, Roswell Rudd, Dewey Redman, Cecil Taylor, and Walt Dickerson. In the 1980s, he was a member of Phalanx, a group with guitarist James "Blood" Ullmer, drummer Rashied Ali, and tenor saxophonist George Adams.

From 1989 Sirone lived in Berlin, Germany with his wife, actress and director Veronika Nowag-Jones, where together they were active in the Theatre. Sirone served as a musical director and actor in a production entitled "Babylon Blues" with the great Hungarian writer/director Georg Tabori at the famous "Burgtheatre" in Vienna. Sirone also created a play with Veronika entitled "Streetlife" about homeless people in New York City. Together they performed as a homeless couple, with acting and playing the bass.

At Berliner Brecht, Sirone was the musical director and soloist for the Charlie Chaplin film version of "Monsieur Verdoux". Sirone played at the Berlin Wall in 1988, with East German soldiers watching. Into the 2000s, Sirone continued to perform with many artists such as Charles Gayle, Tyshawn Sorey, Michael Wimberly, and Billy Bang. Sirone also led his own group, "Sirone's Concord."