Jones, Hank (31st July 1918-16th May 2010)

He was a jazz pianist, conductor, composer, arranger and bandleader born Henry “Hank” Jones Jr. to a musical family in Vicksburg. Mississippi. His father was a Baptist deacon, hismother was a singer, two sisters were pianists, his brother Elvin was a drummer and his brother Thad was a trumpeter, with both brothers being successful jazz musicians.

He studied the piano from the time he was a child and by the time he was 13 years old he was performing in both Michigan and Ohio. While in Michigan he met the jazz saxophonist Lucky Thompson who asked him to perform with the trumpeter Oran “Hot Lips” Page at New York’s Onyx Club. It was during his time in New York that he studied with several accomplished jazz musicians.

In 1947 he became a touring musician with Norman Granz’s Jazz at the Philharmonic and a year later he was accompanying Ella Fitzgerald for a English tour and remained working with her until 1953. During those years he also worked in the recording studio with the saxophonist Charlie Parker, including his Now’s the Time which produced the track “The Song Is You”. He worked with Benny Goodman, Milt Jackson and Artie Shaw and was back in the studio recording with Donald Byrd, Cannonball Adderley, Herbie Mann and Wes Montgomery among several others.

In 1959 he held the position of staff pianist for CBS Studios and remained there until 1975 having accompanied many artists during his time there. He backed Frank Sinatra on The Ed Sullivan Show among numerous others and in 1962 was the pianist when Marilyn Monroe sung “Happy Birthday” to John F. Kennedy.

During the 1970s he was the conductor and pianist on Broadway for the musical Ain’t Misbehavin’ and was extremely busy in the recording studio, predominantly as a solo artist and as a member of The Great Jazz Trio and other small groups.

In 1976 he worked with The Great Jazz Trio with Ron Carter and Tony Williams who, alongside Hank, were the original members. Four years later and Carter and Williams had changed to Eddie Gomez and Al Foster, with Foster being replaced by Jimmy Cobb in 1982. Also in the first half of the 1980s he was a pianist at the Cafe Ziegfeld and toured Japan, recording with Sonny Stitt and George Duvivier while he was over there. In 1989 he was named the National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Master.

During the 1990s he worked on an album with an ensemble from Mali and with the jazz double bassist Charlie Haden on the 1995 album Steal Away. The recording side of things went into the 2000s when he played on countless albums as a solo artist and with his own ensembles.

In 2004 he was awarded as an ASCAP Jazz Living Legend and Berklee College of Music awarded him an honorary doctorate at the Umbria Jazz Festival, during the 20th anniversary of jazz education in 2005. In 2006 the quartet appeared with the Oscar Peterson Trio among others at the Monterey Jazz Festival. Through the rest of the 2000s he attended jazz festivals, often playing for the singer Robert Gambarini and the saxophonist Joe Lovano and was the headliner at the JVC/NYC Festival concert and was honoured at 2008 invitational at the Festival Inernational de Jazz de Montreal. He was also named Pianist of the Year at the Jazz Journalists Association Awards.

During his career he was nominated for 5 Grammy Awards and in 2009 he was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. His recording output runs into the thousands as a musician and/or composer, but a select few include his own Bob Redux/Groovin’ High, Flowers for Lady Day, I Remember You, Live at Jazzhus Slukefter Vol.2, Trio 1979 Discovery, Hank Jones Piano, Hank Jones Quartet/Quintet, The Trio, Bluebird, Urbanity, The Talented Touch, Here’s Love, Happenings, Arigato, Satin Doll, Rockin’ in Rhythm, Hanky Panky, Live in Japan, Lazy Afternoon, The Oracle, Sarala, Darji’s Groove, Compassion and For My Father along with A Night with Louis Armstrong by Louis Armstrong, El Gato (Flying Dutchman) by Gato Barbieri, Originals by Louis Bellson, Shape of Things to Come by George Benson, Musician of the Year by Eddie Bert, Once More with Feeling by Phil Bodner, On the Good Ship Lollipop by Teresa Brewer, Much in Common by Ray Brown, I Almost Lost My Mind by Solomon Burke, Byrd’s Word by Donald Byrd, Deep in a Dream by Al Caiola, Presenting Cannonball by Cannonball Adderley, The Classic Hoagy Carmichael by Hoagy Carmichael, Carnaval by Ron Carter, Two Funky People by Al Cohn & Zoot Sims, The Greatest Hits by Nat King Cole, Bread & Roses by Judy Collins, The Man Who Invented Soul by Sam Cooke, Joe Williams’ Finest Hour by Count Basie and Joe Williams, Mean What You Say by Eddie Daniels, Ballads and Blues by Miles Davis, Mood Indigo: Capitol Sings Duke Ellington by Duke Ellington, Maynard Ferguson and His Birdland Dream Band by Maynard Ferguson, Lullabies of Birdland by Ella Fitzgerald, Billy by Billy Fury, Getz Plays Bossa Nova by Stan Getz, Songs by Astrud Gilberto, The Bop Session by Dizzy Gillespie, Swing, Swing, Swing by Benny Goodman, London Meeting by Stephane Grappelli, Easy to Love by The Great Jazz Trio, Let’s Face the Music and Dance by Urbie Green, You Better Know It!!! by Lionel Hampton, Gene Harris of the Three Sounds by Gene Harris, Super Session by Coleman Hawkins, Lady in Satin by Billy Holiday, Jackson’s Ville by Milt Jackson, Elvin! by Elvin Jones, This Is How I Feel About Jazz by Quincy Jones, The Fabulous Thad Jones by Thad Jones, The Drum Battle by Gene Krupa & Buddy Rich, Incontournable du jazz by John Lewis, Stringsville by Harry Lookofsky, When Lights Are Low by Herbie Mann, Johnny Mathis by Johnny Mathis, So Much Guitar by Wes Montgomery, Black, Brown & Beautiful by Oliver Nelson, A Man and His Music by Claus Ogerman, A Man and His Horn by Anthony Ortega, When Be-Bop Was King by Charlie Parker, After the Lights Go Down Low and Much More!!! by Freda Payne, The Complete Mercury/Clef Recordings by the Oscar Peterson Trio, The Freelance Years by Sonny Rollins, Self Portrait by Artie Shaw, L.A. Is My Lady by Frank Sinatra, Out of the Shadows by Billy Strayhorn, Vibrations by Cal Tjader, A Time for Us (Love Theme from Romeo & Juliet) by Mel Torme, Stanley Turrentine by Stanley Turrentine, All Time Greats by Sarah Vaughan, T-Shirt/Final Exam by Loudon Wainwright III, The Diva by Dinah Washington, All My Tomorrows by Grover Washington Jr., Bone Straight Ahead by Bill Watrous, Magic 201 by Frank Wess, National Guard Shows by Andy Williams and The Best Of… by Nancy Wilson along with numerous collections and compilations.

In May 2010 he died in The Bronx, New York at the Calvary Hospital Hospice, just a short time after having performed in Japan. He was 91 years old.

Sources:

Jones, Hank (31st July 1918-16th May 2010)

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