Catch up on the latest news at Emarcy.
Henry "Hank" Jones – July 31, 1918 – May 16, 2010
May 18th, 2010
The eldest of the legendary Jones brothers (his siblings are drummer Elvin and trumpeter/composer Thad) and the first of the major Detroit jazz pianists to emerge after World War II (Tommy Flanagan, Barry Harris, and Sir Roland Hanna followed), was a pianist's pianist - a towering beacon of swing, style, touch and taste.
In autumn 1947, he began touring in Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic package, and from 1948 to 1953 he was accompanist for Ella Fitzgerald, and accompanying her in England in the Fall of 1948 developed a harmonic facility of extraordinary taste and sophistication. During this period he also made several historically important recordings with Charlie Parker, which included "The Song Is You", from the Now's the Time album, recorded in December 1952, with Tedd Kotick on bass and Max Roach on drums.
Engagements with Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman followed, and recordings with artists such as Lester Young, Cannonball Adderley, and Wes Montgomery, in addition to being for a time, 'house pianist' on the Savoy label. From 1959 through 1975 Jones was staff pianist for CBS studios. This included backing guests like Frank Sinatra on The Ed Sullivan Show. With his rare combination of talents as a strong soloist, sensitive accompanist, and adept sight-reader, Jones was always in great demand for recording sessions of all kinds, and may be heard on thousands of albums.
An anecdote of those years is that he was on stage at the piano behind Marilyn Monroe as she sang "Happy Birthday Mr. President" to John F. Kennedy on May 19, 1962. By the late 1970s, his involvement as pianist and conductor with the Broadway musical Ain't Misbehavin' (based on the music of Fats Waller) had informed a wider audience of his unique qualities as a musician.
Engagements with Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman followed, and recordings with artists such as Lester Young, Cannonball Adderley, and Wes Montgomery, in addition to being for a time, 'house pianist' on the Savoy label. From 1959 through 1975 Jones was staff pianist for CBS studios. This included backing guests like Frank Sinatra on The Ed Sullivan Show. With his rare combination of talents as a strong soloist, sensitive accompanist, and adept sight-reader, Jones was always in great demand for recording sessions of all kinds, and may be heard on thousands of albums.
An anecdote of those years is that he was on stage at the piano behind Marilyn Monroe as she sang "Happy Birthday Mr. President" to John F. Kennedy on May 19, 1962. By the late 1970s, his involvement as pianist and conductor with the Broadway musical Ain't Misbehavin' (based on the music of Fats Waller) had informed a wider audience of his unique qualities as a musician.
During the late 1970s and the 1980s, Jones continued to record prolifically, as an unaccompanied soloist, in duos with other pianists (including John Lewis and Tommmy Flanagan), and with various small ensembles, most notably the Great Jazz Trio.
He collaborated on recordings of Afro-pop with an ensemble from Mali and on an album of spirituals, hymns and folksongs with Charlie Haden called Steal Away (1995). He also accompanied Diana Krall for "Dream a Little Dream of Me" on the album compilation, We all Love Ella (Verve 2007).
In February 2010 Hank Jones again was in the studio for a duo collaboration with Charlie Haden on a yet to be released album titled ‘Come Sunday’.
He collaborated on recordings of Afro-pop with an ensemble from Mali and on an album of spirituals, hymns and folksongs with Charlie Haden called Steal Away (1995). He also accompanied Diana Krall for "Dream a Little Dream of Me" on the album compilation, We all Love Ella (Verve 2007).
In February 2010 Hank Jones again was in the studio for a duo collaboration with Charlie Haden on a yet to be released album titled ‘Come Sunday’.
Roberta Gambarini remarks in the liner notes of her album 'You Are There’:
"Recording with the great Hank Jones was simply a musician's dream, the highest point in my musical journey. I was blessed with the opportunity to meet Hank in the year 2001, when Lionel Hampton and Doc Skinner invited me to perform at the annual Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. I was new to the scene then, having moved to the United States from my native Italy merely a couple of years before. There was a stellar "house rhythm section" including the wonderful Christian McBride, Jeff Hamilton, Russell Malone and the one and only Hank Jones, "simply the Greatest Piano Player in Jazz"...(I share this opinion with most of the Jazz musicians in the world, of course! Ask Kenny Barron or Chucho Valdez, or many other giants of the instrument ...). Hank was very warm and encouraging, and I had my first "Up Front and Close" encounter with the 'Jones Magic'."
"Recording with the great Hank Jones was simply a musician's dream, the highest point in my musical journey. I was blessed with the opportunity to meet Hank in the year 2001, when Lionel Hampton and Doc Skinner invited me to perform at the annual Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. I was new to the scene then, having moved to the United States from my native Italy merely a couple of years before. There was a stellar "house rhythm section" including the wonderful Christian McBride, Jeff Hamilton, Russell Malone and the one and only Hank Jones, "simply the Greatest Piano Player in Jazz"...(I share this opinion with most of the Jazz musicians in the world, of course! Ask Kenny Barron or Chucho Valdez, or many other giants of the instrument ...). Hank was very warm and encouraging, and I had my first "Up Front and Close" encounter with the 'Jones Magic'."
The products on this website may not be available via Emarcy in all territories.
Contact Us: