Jazz Articles about Hank Jones

Joe Lovano: I'm All For You

by Russell Moon
May 1, 2004

Joe Lovano's I'm All For You is subtitled Ballad Songbook. Every song is taken at a leisurely pace, and the recording reminds me of Charlie Haden's Quartet West album Haunted Heart. All of the renditions are indeed haunting and very soulful. Lovano has collected three of the best to join him—Hank Jones on piano, George Mraz on bass and Paul Motian on drums. The great ones make it look easy.

Half of the 59 minute album is made up of ...

Hank Jones/Milt Hinton/Bobby Rosengarden: The Trio

by Jeff Stockton
January 22, 2004

In an article published in the Village Voice a couple of years ago Gary Giddins traced a history of recorded jazz in song, year by year, and Hank Jones’ solo “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” was pegged as the noteworthy performance of 1977. As his rhythm section lays out, Jones tinkles his piano as if prompting a dream sequence, then leaves the song behind as he performs one harmonic digression after another before returning to the tune with an almost-barrelhouse ...

A Fireside Chat with Hank Jones

by AAJ Staff
October 27, 2003

An icon of the music, but one so humble, his accolades and achievements are never heard above a whisper. His impact, however, is elephantine and certain to linger long after I am six feet under. Take Master Class (a reissue of Bebop Redux and Groovin’ High ), a testament to the pianist’s sensitive lyricism and gentle swing, Jones is a personal fav. I am pleased to present the Brother to Thad and Elvin, mentor to numerous, and favorite of mine, ...

Hank Jones

by AAJ Staff
October 27, 2003

One of the first records I ever owned was Cannonball Adderley's Somethin' Else with Miles Davis, Sam Jones, Art Blakey, and the veritable Hank Jones. The fact that Jones was on that session didn't register with me completely - he was on so many records I just became used to seeing his name, not realizing at the time how this amazing musician contributed to recordings that have spanned jazz genres for seven decades alongside most of jazz' legends. A player ...

Hank Jones/The Great Jazz Trio: Autumn Leaves

by Mark Corroto
September 25, 2003

As quiet and unassuming as Hank Jones’ music tends to be, matching him with brother Elvin doesn’t interrupt his thoughtful manner. This session, recorded in May of 2002, is only the fourth time the two brothers from Detroit have recorded together, the last being Upon Reflection–The Music of Thad Jones, a tribute to their departed sibling for Emarcy (1994).

Pianist Hank Jones is the eldest of the Jones boys at 85 years. He helped usher in the bebop revolution, recording ...

Sonny Stitt: Goin

by C. Michael Bailey
April 9, 2003

Goin’ Down Slow was recorded during the same period as Bobby Timmons’ Orchestra and Trio, both recordings made in the 1970s to appeal to '70s sensibilities. That it is unfair to compare these recordings by today’s or today’s retro-sensibilities goes without saying. But nothing takes the grease out of hard bop faster than strings and other ornamentations, particularly on a blues. This certainly almost destroyed the spirit of Timmons, and it has the same hard swing at Sonny Stitt on ...

Jonah Jones Quartet: Jumpin' With Jonah

by AAJ Staff
January 20, 2003

Hey, who’s that swingin’ that horn? That sounds like Pops!

Well, though Jonah Jones and Louis "Pops" Armstrong were contemporaries, the comparisons stop there.

Actually, Jonah and Louis do sound alike. And on this album (which takes its title from Jones’s third LP, but which is here reissued with some additional tracks), Jones puts his bell mute to many of the same songs Satchmo was known for, such as "A Kiss To Build A Dream On," "Do You Know What ...