Hank Jones is one of the most gifted jazz pianists of the second half of the 20th century, and this salute to Duke Ellington is only slightly blemished by the sometimes overbearing string arrangements by Masahiko Satoh. His trio, with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Jimmy Cobb, sticks to familiar selections from the vast Ellington songbook, with Jones occasionally switching to a Fender Rhodes electric piano or celeste. Happily the strings are omitted from cookers such as "C Jam Blues" and "Take the 'A' Train." Worth searching for.
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…
On IMPRESSIONS OF SPAIN from Navona Records, the critically acclaimed guitar trio enchants and excites with their performance of Spanish-influenced works from master composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Arranged and adapted for guitar trio by Gregg Nestor, the unexplored repertoire of five composers cascades across guitar frets in this recording, communicating themes of love, poetry and literature, spanish dance, and the spirit of Spain itself through music. Experience the works of Isaac Albéniz, Maurice Ravel, Enrique Granados, Joaquín Turina, and Manuel de Falla through a new and virtuosic voice.
Despite a frequent change of supporting players, pianist Hank Jones always produces rewarding sessions when he leads the Great Jazz Trio in a studio date. On the 1978 Great Jazz Trio Direct From L.A. disc made for the Japanese label East Wind, premier sidemen Ron Carter and Tony Williams are on hand. Right away Jones signals that he is in a playful mood, using Tchaikovsky's "Arabian Dance" (from The Nutcracker) to introduce and close a cooking rendition of "A Night in Tunisia." The treatment of "'Round About Midnight" is more straightforward, though Jones' style adds an elegant touch. His off-kilter introduction to the well-traveled "Satin Doll" keeps the song fresh. He transforms "My Funny Valentine" into a brisk loping waltz, with Carter and Williams providing imaginative support. If there's a bone to pick with this well-recorded CD, it is the miserly length of just 29 minutes.
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.
Eri Ohno is a Japanese pop, funk and jazz singer.
Eri Ohno recorded her debut album Feeling Your Love and the single "Trad Man" (Better Days) in 1979, followed by several albums on the Denon and Nippon Columbia record labels. She recorded the album Eri My Dear (1982) with Toshiyuki Daitoku (keyboards), Cecil McBee (bass) and Billy Hart (drums). With Hank Jones, Eddie Gomez and Jimmy Cobb, an album with songs by Cole Porter like "I Get a Kick Out of You", "Love for Sale" or "Night and Day" was released in Tokyo in 1984.