Paeans to Hank Jones

"Hank Jones, our high dignitary of the piano, patriarch of the Detroit piano legacy, NEA Jazz Master, and elegant gentleman, personifies regal sophistication and impeccable taste in the nuance of sound palette through touch, melody, harmony and rhythm. Time and time again, he expresses the comprehensive variety of carefully selected choices which make up his striking body of work. He is an authentic virtuoso of the highest order, an inspiration and soaring affirmation of our own possibilities. It is always an extraordinary experience to hear Mr. Jones, live or on record, and it is a great honor to know him. Thank you Mr. Jones." -- Geri Allen (currently touring with Andrew Cyrille, Oliver Lake and Reggie Workman as Geri Allen + Trio 3, which has a new album, At This Time issued on Intakt)

"For me, when I think of Hank Jones, the first thing that comes to mind is his 'elegance and finesse' in jazz piano playing. I remember meeting him backstage at the Broadway show 'Ain't Misbehavin'' where he shined all night long as he performed flawlessly the music of Fats Waller, and years later I was lucky to meet him once again at the Bern Jazz Festival. By then I had already met his brothers Thad at the Vanguard, as well as Elvin and his wife Keiko at the Blue Note. I believe Hank is definitely one of the legendary jazz pianists of all times. -- Michel Camilo (2009-2010 Jazz Creative Director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, he plays at the Newport Jazz Festival this weekend).

"Hank Jones is a great master of jazz piano, whom I respect and admire.  He hasn't been a direct influence on my playing, but I've seen him live in concert and have heard a lot of recordings of him.  He always blows me away."  -- Billy Childs (Los Angelino, frequently commissioned composer-pianist and 2009 Guggenheim fellow)

"Hank has retained his sharp wit, joyful approach to living and wonderful playing and has laughed at the myth of 'old age.' He's are pure inspiration." -- Chick Corea (this summer touring Europe performing solo concerts, one piano duet program with Stefano Bollani and some engagements with Gary Burton; Corea, bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Lenny White play the Hollywood Bowl September 2 and the Detroit International Jazz Festival September 4, then 16 more dates until October 1).

The greatness of Hank Jones is unmistakable.  His rhythmic poise and the warmth of his sound are the first things you notice.  Then you begin to hear the wisdom of every choice he makes.

Improvisers are virtuoso "deciders"; they make decisions in real time and act on them in the same moment, uniting thought and action.  Every single sound that an improvisor makes is the result of a real-time decision.  

A lifetime of deciding etches intricate canyons of structure into the neural pathways connecting the brain to the body's sonorous actions.  To hear Hank Jones today is to hear impossible levels of detail, decades of personal history, embodied in every gesture, every nuance, every sound.

This quality, the "late style" of an improviser, is abundantly audible in the playing of Mr. Jones. He is a performer whose musical decisions, having resounded for the bettter part of a century, are now blessed with a crystalline quality, a hard-won and very real luminosity, poise, composure, convictions. At this point, everything he does is magical." -- Vijay Iyer (adapted from his 2008 program notes to the Bretano Quartet Carnegie Hall concerts, "Concerning Late Style in Composer and Improvisers"; Iyer performs with his trio this weekend at the Newport Jazz Festival, August 30 in the Jazz Festival Saalfelden (Switzerland), and September 20 at the Monterey Jazz Festival) 

"No other living pianist can do what he does. His touch and how he anchors everything with his left hand is of course a testament to the ragtime and stride generations. But he's one of the few - and perhaps the best example - who bridged that with how pianists play today. I think he's the most perfectly balanced pianist I have seen, in every way: touch, feel, swing, sensitivity, accompaniment, facility, heart, mind and soul. It's pure beauty. And one can feel his sincerity and devotion to music in every note." - Jason Lindner (he performs at the Regatta Bar in Boston with vocalist Claudia Acuna August 7, and at the Newport Jazz Festival August 8)

"God bless Hank, he's something else. He's just great to know. I first met him when I was in Mel Lewis's band, in 1980 -'91, since he sat in on occasion. Then when I toured with Elvin's Jazz Machine with in '87, Europe being so exciting to me and me being so excited about Elvin, I remember rapping with Hank about it all back then.

"In Moscow, Idaho at the Lionel Hampton festivals in '94 and '95 I sat with Hank in small groups; he and Elvin were sort of the house rhythm section, as I remember playing with Roy Hargrove, Benny Golson, Brian Bromberg and Christian McBride and others. Then I think it was 1998 when Hank called me to guest with his trio in Birdland. That was a thrill, to have him call me. And we started recording, at first a ballad, two or three other songs, and it became like a dream, all of a sudden we had a relationship, it wasn't like we were just hooking up to cut a couple of pieces. We did 'I'm All For You,' based on 'Body and Soul,' and from that point on we played a lot.

"I played on Hank's 90th birthday celebration at the Hollywood Bowl last summer, and we did a duet tour in San Sebastian this July. He has the best feeling and touch; he's one of the most distinctive voices in modern jazz, and captures you from the first moment you hear him. He's copied and valued by everyone when you're playing with him in an ensemble. He has an uncanny way of following and leading with equal balance. It's egoless in appearance, but the way he swings and accompanies you with dynamics is like no one else. His clarity and focus are amazing, he always comes up with new voicings, he doesn't repeat himself, he's always moving forward -- he has a very free approach within the music he loves to play. He's into detail, the way he puts things together, but he's also loose and open to the flow of the moment. He's totally modern in his approach, and timeless. He's influenced me enormously, with his sense of phrasing and space. He takes me places. We move together in beautiful unique dialog. -- Joe Lovano (Hank Jones is featured with Lovano's quartet at the Monterey Jazz Festival September 20; they recorded a sweet record together, Kids: Duets Live at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola)

"Having just turned 60 yesterday, I can still say that when I grow up, I want to be Hank Jones. I've just arrived in Holland, to conduct his concert in The Hague.

"Hank Jones has been an inspiration in many ways. He possesses an impeccable pianistic touch; a wonderful harmonic sense, and I've always felt that Hank means every single note -- there's never a wasted note in his lines. They're perfect gems.

"In another way, he's been an influence because of his position as the first pianist for the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra (for which I was the last pianist).  When I joined the band in 1978 I modeled my playing on Hank and his successor, Roland Hanna.  

And personally:  suffice it to say that the way Hank Jones  plays, looks, and lives at the age of 90 inspires all of us, and gives us hope!" Thanks for asking!  -- Jim McNeely (currently artist-in-residence with the HR (Hessischer Rundfunk) Big Band in Frankfurt, Germany; hear his Grammy-nominated album Lickety Split: The Vanguard jazz Orchestra Plays the Music of Jim McNeely)

"Hank Jones - a perfect blend of soul and class."  -- Eric Scott Reed heard throughout August at the Pasadena Playhouse

"His rich harmonic language, beautiful time, nuanced touch, witty lines and ever-present impeccable taste make Hank Jones one of the most unique and important pianists in the history of jazz. As it is with a great painting or book, every time I listen to a Hank Jones recording, even one I've heard many times, I discover something new to learn and appreciate. -- Renee Rosnes (playing with Bobby Hutcherson's quartet at the Blue Note in Tokyo Aug. 4 - 10, leading her own quartet at Dizzy's Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center, NYC Sept 8 - 13)

"Despite his seniority and extraordinary accomplishments, Hank Jones continues to push his creative potential.  Hank never stops trying out new ideas. This youthful vigor combined with his immaculate taste, touch, sensitivity, and harmonic ingenuity make Hank Jones one of my musical heroes. Plus, he's one of the nicest guys in the business! It's so wonderful to have Hank on the scene inspiring all of us younger guys and I'm honored to have Hank consider me one of his 'students.'" -- Michael Weiss (pianist with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, every Monday night at the Village Vanguard and at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival September 6; leading his own trio at Princeton's Jazz Nights, September 26, and featured with Jimmy Heath's quartet in October)