Guitar and Bass Conversations

Interview With Derek Jones, Bassist for Cirque du Soleil’s “KA”

With Editor Raúl Amador

Derek Jones and I go way back—think Myspace days! We’d been in touch for quite a while before finally meeting up at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to catch the Cirque du Soleil masterpiece, KA, about fourteen years ago. Luckily, we scored some exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and got an inside look at Derek’s journey during that time.

Flash forward to today, and Derek has been holding it down on bass for KA for over two decades, crushing well over 8,000 shows!

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg… he’s also been recording his own album, jamming with countless bands, diving into creative projects, contributing to Bass Musician Magazine, repping the gear he endorses, and being an awesome family man.

I figured it was about time we caught up… so without further ado, here’s Derek Jones!

This interview first appeared in Bass Musician Magazine in May 2025

Go to jazzguitartoday.com and bassmusicianmagazine.com more interviews and lessons.

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