Imperial Russian Army of The Great Wa

This album recorded in 1984 is a tribute to one of the great Jazz pianists, Thelonious Monk.
Hank Jones has been known to be a quintessential sideman and occasional leader during his lengthy career as a premier jazz pianist. His most frequent project has been as the ostensible leader of the co-op group known as the Great Jazz Trio, a classic example of how the piano-bass-drums format has remained timeless, enduring, and ever challenging. Formed in the spring of 1975, the initial threesome performed together for the first time at the Village Vanguard nightclub in New York City for one week, was given its name by owner Max Gordon, and consisted of Jones, drummer Tony Williams, and bassist Ron Carter…

The Besnard Lakes have passed through death and they're here to tell the tale. Nearly five years after their last lightning-tinted volley, the magisterial Montreal psych-rock band has sworn off compromise, split with their long-standing label, and completed a searing, 72-minute suite about the darkness of death and the light on the other side.

This edition of the Great Jazz Trio features Hank Jones with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Al Foster in a release recorded in the U.S. for issue in Japan. Jones contributes three originals to the session: the twisting bop line of "Duplex," the subtle ballad "Sublime," and the strutting blues "Peedlum." He switches to electric piano for the bassist's moody "Light Listened" and Foster's ineffective samba "Just Before Dawn," which comes across very dated and muddy. A crisp flight through "Ornithology" and a dreamy waltz through "Stella by Starlight" feature Jones back on the Steinway to show off his considerable chops.