Hank Jones - Piano Solo (1956) [2008]

Savoy jazz director, Ozzie Cadena, was the first a&r man to give Hank Jones the amount of record time he deserved. In addition to Jones’s steadying presence as a sideman on many sessions, Cadena saw to it that he was finally brought before a wider audience than at any previous point in his career. This time Cadena chose to present him as a solo performer, an inspired choice, since Jones is a complete jazz pianist in that he can be his own rhythm section if he has to.

Underneath the flowing gentleness of his lines is a firm, two-handed beat that sometimes distils stride traces of his early influences-Waller, Tatum, Wilson, and Nat Cole. And because of the intelligence and emotional acumen of his musicianship, he can make even the venerable standards included here sound freshly minted and personal again.


Tracks:

01 - It Had To Be You
02 - Heart And Soul
03 - Let's Fall In Love
04 - But Not For Me
05 - Kankee Shout
06 - Body And Soul
07 - How About You
08 - Gone With The Wind
09 - Teddy's Dream
10 - Have You Met Miss Jones
11 - You Don't Know What Love Is
12 - Solo Blues

Personnel:

Hank Jones - piano