CD/LP/Track Review
Mike Jones: Live At Steinway Hall (2002)
Mark Corroto
Mark misses his large dog Louie, but endeavors daily to find and listen to new and interesting sounds.
Pianist Mike Jones is throwback musician. His music is a vestige of a time when stride and swing piano co-existed in jazz. This record made at Steinway Hall in 1997 is about a man, just one solitary man working through some classic tunes. Played any other way, making this a duo, trio, or quartet record would conceal his massive chops. Jones’ talent at the two-handed approach calls to mind Teddy Wilson, Oscar Peterson, George Shearing, and of course Art Tatum. He chooses Sammy Kahn, Rodgers & Hart and Oscar Peterson as examples of songsmiths that have made an everlasting impression on the collective musical memory of America. I might not be able to recall what Broadway show many of these hits came from, but I can pick out “These Foolish Things” or “Once In A While” after just a few notes. Jones doesn’t practice the popular deconstruction of music as much as he constructs his solos piling technique on technique. From the jaw dropping two-fisted speed version of “I Want To Be Happy” to his simply emotive ballad work, he is a pianist’s pianist.
Track Listing: This Can
Personnel: Mike Jones - Piano
Record Label: Chiaroscuro Records | Style: Straight-ahead/Mainstream
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