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From the Los Angeles Times
February 14, 2008
Hank Jones Trio
Pianist Hank Jones comes from one of jazz's most illustrious families.
Younger brothers Elvin and Thad were iconic figures -- the former the influential
drummer perhaps best known for his work with John Coltrane, the latter for
superb accomplishments as a trumpeter and composer. Hank, now 89, has been
less visible than either sibling, perhaps because his artistry has always
been so soft-spoken, understated, elegant and versatile.
All those qualities
were on display Tuesday at UCLA's Fowler Museum in his performance with
bassist John Clayton and drummer Joe La Barbera. He announced at the start
that he was going to play standards, a wise decision. Jones' illustrious
career has taken him through gigs with the likes of Artie Shaw and Benny
Goodman, Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins and Ella Fitzgerald -- all of which
provided virtual seminars in the mastery of the Great American Songbook.
He began with a coolly swaggering, mid-tempo reading of Cole Porter's "What
Is This Thing Called Love?," spinning off bits of musical paraphrase, tossing
in quotes from other songs, always in touch with the melody.
Other selections
-- "Star Eyes," "Autumn Leaves," "But Beautiful" and "Stella by Starlight"
-- embraced the gamut of tunes jazz artists love to play. Jones' capacity
to extract subtly variable tones from the piano combined with dancing rhythms
and articulate melody-making to find new life in the familiar themes. Clayton
and La Barbera played their familiar supportive roles. There were some less
than optimal renditions, but it was rewarding under any circumstances to
hear a veteran artist such as Jones still in command.
Another aspect of
his powers surfaced when Italian jazz singer briefly joined the trio. Jones
has always been an extraordinary accompanist, and his backing was just right
for the versatile Gambarini's display of lush balladry on "Skylark" and
buoyant scat singing on "Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'."