I made it a conscientious point to go out and see pianist Hank Jones every time he came to the LA area, as I knew a time would come when the good Lord would take him away from us, and I didn’t want to have any regrets of missing his melodic and tasteful swing. Jones set the pace for bebop pianists, mixing melody, pulse and class in modern jazz. This 1983 concert in Copenhagen, Denmark withy bassist Mads Vinding and legendary drummer Shelly Manne is akin to Thornton Wilder’s Our Town in which we revisit a seemingly “regular” evening, and in retrospect appreciate the priceless and timeless beauty of it.
Jones’ touch is rooted in his stride-educated touch that hooked up with Bud Powell’s torrid bebop lines, mixing elegance with heat, as on Joe Henderson’s “Recorda Me” (with Manne on tasty brushes) or during the concise read of Charlie Parker’s “Moose The Mooche”. Melodic beauty flows on the rococo “Emily” with the team digging in and Vinding getting some space on “All The Things You Are”. Jones’ deft touch with the left hand on fellow pianist pieces by Thelonious Monk on “Ruby My Dear” and “Arrival” by Horace Parlan are rich with harmony and feel. The entire evening, fellow maestro Manne keeps the mood fluid, coaxing things along on the obscure “Yours Is My Heart Alone” and suavely swaying on “The Bruise”. If this doesn’t hit you in your marrow, maybe you need to take up something besides jazz, like macrame’.