Henry Jones Jr. was born on July 31, 1918, and passed away on May 16, 2010. He was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Many critics and musicians described him as expressive, melodic, and excellent. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts gave him the NEA Jazz Masters Award. In 2003, he received the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) Jazz Living Legend Award. In 2008, he was honored with the National Medal of Arts. On April 13, 2009, the University of Hartford gave him an honorary Doctorate of Music for his musical achievements.
Jones recorded more than 60 albums under his own name. He is believed to have played on over a thousand recordings as a guest musician, including the well-known album Somethin' Else by Cannonball Adderley, which also features Miles Davis. On May 19, 1962, he played piano while actress Marilyn Monroe sang her famous "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" song to then U.S. president John F. Kennedy.
Early life and career
Henry "Hank" Jones was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and later moved to Pontiac, Michigan. His father, Henry Jones Sr., worked as a Baptist deacon and a lumber inspector. He purchased a three-story brick house. Jones was one of ten children in a family that valued music and religion. His mother, Olivia Jones, sang. His two older sisters studied piano. His two younger brothers, Thad and Elvin, became well-known jazz musicians. Thad played the trumpet, and Elvin played the drums. Jones began studying classical piano at a young age with a teacher named Pauline McCann. He learned to play music "more clearly and more logically," as he later said. He admired the works of classical composers such as Bach, Chopin, Debussy, and Ravel, who influenced his music throughout his life.
Although his father believed that "playing jazz was the work for the devil," Jones eventually became influenced by famous jazz pianists of his time, including Earl Hines, Fats Waller, Art Tatum, and Teddy Wilson. Jones said that Art Tatum was his "all-time favorite player." He once heard a recording of Tatum's highly skilled performance of "Tiger Rag" (1933) and asked who the three pianists were.
By the age of 13, Jones was performing in local areas of Michigan and Ohio. In 1944, while playing with territory bands in Grand Rapids and Lansing, he met saxophonist Lucky Thompson. Thompson invited Jones to work in New York City at the Onyx Club with musician Hot Lips Page.
NYC and bebop
In New York City, Jones often listened to famous bop musicians, such as Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, and wanted to learn and play this new style. While practicing and studying music, he worked with John Kirby, Howard McGhee, Coleman Hawkins, Andy Kirk, and Billy Eckstine. Coleman Hawkins recorded Jones' composition "Angel Face" in 1947, which should not be confused with a later piece by Joe Zawinul. Although Jones played only a short part on the original recording, he later performed the piece with Milt Jackson in 1956 and as the leader of a trio in 1978.
In autumn 1947, Jones began touring with Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic group. From 1948 to 1953, he worked as an accompanist for Ella Fitzgerald. As he became more skilled as a solo performer and accompanist, he developed the ability to play complex harmonies with great taste and skill. During this time, he also recorded important music with Charlie Parker, including "The Song Is You" from the Now's the Time album, recorded in December 1952, with Teddy Kotick on bass and Max Roach on drums.
Jones later performed with Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman and recorded music with artists like Lester Young, Cannonball Adderley, and Wes Montgomery. He participated in Shaw's final recordings before Shaw retired, which were praised for their quality. Jones became the "house pianist" for Savoy Records, recording a well-regarded trio album in 1955 with bassist Wendell Marshall and drummer Kenny Clarke. Other Savoy projects from this time include recordings with Donald Byrd and Bobby Jaspar. Pianist Ethan Iverson said Jones' Savoy-era recordings "showcase some of the most lush pre-Bill Evans comping in jazz and a post-Strayhorn blend of impressionism and the blues."
The middle years with CBS
From 1959 to 1975, Jones worked as a staff pianist for CBS studios. He got the job because of singer Andy Williams, who admired Jones’ playing. This position gave Jones a steady salary and extra benefits that jazz musicians usually did not have. Jones had a very busy schedule, rehearsing for and playing on shows such as The Garry Moore Show, The Jackie Gleason Show, and The Ed Sullivan Show. He sometimes accompanied famous singers like Frank Sinatra.
In 1961, Jones played piano on the score for the movie The Hustler, composed by Kenyon Hopkins. The score included music by saxophonist Phil Woods and a solo piece by Jones called "Derby Time." Jones also played piano for Marilyn Monroe as she sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to John F. Kennedy on May 19, 1962. Jones said, "She sang 16 bars—eight bars of 'Happy Birthday' and eight bars of 'Thanks for the Memory.' We practiced those 16 bars for eight hours. She was very nervous and upset. She was not used to performing in such a situation. She was a good singer, but on this day, she drank a lot, which made it harder for her to sing. It was very interesting."
Because of his work with CBS, Jones recorded fewer albums as a leader during the 16 years he worked there. In the 1960s, he still made jazz recordings as a supporting musician, appearing on albums by artists like guitarist Johnny Smith, saxophonist Ben Webster, and vocalists Johnny Hartman and Nancy Wilson. By the late 1970s, his work as a pianist and conductor for the Broadway musical Ain’t Misbehavin’ (based on the music of Fats Waller) helped more people learn about his unique musical talents, as noted by AllAboutJazz.
Comeback and the Great Jazz Trio
During the late 1970s and 1980s, Jones recorded music for many labels. He played alone on piano, worked with other pianists like John Lewis, Tommy Flanagan, and George Shearing, and performed with small groups. One important group was the Great Jazz Trio, which mostly recorded for a Japanese label called East Wind Records. The group’s name was chosen by the label’s music selection team in 1976. At that time, Jones was already performing at the Village Vanguard with bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams, who had previously played in the rhythm section of the second Miles Davis Quintet. However, Buster Williams, not Ron Carter, joined the trio for its first recording in 1976. The original lineup, including Carter and Williams, later recorded seven times together, including three live performances at the Vanguard in 1977. Ethan Iverson said that Jones, Carter, and Williams each sounded like leaders in these recordings and that their work showed all three musicians at their best. He also called Carter and Williams "the Rolls-Royce of modern swing."
By 1980, Jones’ group included bassist Eddie Gómez and drummer Al Foster. In 1982, Jimmy Cobb replaced Foster. The trio recorded music on its own and with other famous musicians, such as Art Farmer, Benny Golson, and Nancy Wilson. Jones continued to record with different versions of the Great Jazz Trio, including one with bassist Richard Davis and his brother Elvin, until his death. At the same time, Jones made many recordings as a leader, including Bop Redux and I Remember You, both of which were nominated for Grammy Awards.
Final years
Jones showed greater ability to do many different things as time passed. In his later years, he recorded music with the Meridian String Quartet, played alongside guitar young talent Emily Remler on two albums, and worked with an Afro-pop group from Mali. He also made recordings with bassist Charlie Haden that included spirituals, hymns, and folksongs. These recordings were titled Steal Away (1995) and Come Sunday (2010).
Other recordings from this time included several trio albums, such as For My Father (2005) with bassist George Mraz and drummer Dennis Mackrel. He also released solo piano recordings and played on three albums by saxophonist Joe Lovano. Jones began his work with Lineage Records, recording with Frank Wess and guitarist Eddie Diehl. He later appeared on West of 5th (2006) with Jimmy Cobb and Christian McBride on Chesky Records. He also played with singer Roberta Gambarini on the well-received album You Are There (EmArcy, 2007) and with Diana Krall on the song "Dream a Little Dream of Me" from the album We All Love Ella: Celebrating the First Lady of Song (Verve, 2007). Jones was one of the musicians featured in the documentary Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037, which was released in November 2007.
Even in his later years, Jones practiced carefully. At age 78, he said, "You have to stay in shape, so I do scales and exercises three or four hours a day, and then I practice sight-reading." Near the end of his career, he worked with young pianists, including a two-piano recording of the Ellington/Strayhorn piece "Tonk" with Bill Charlap in 2007 and a two-piano concert with Brad Mehldau in Montreal in 2008.
Jones lived in Cresskill, New Jersey; upstate New York; and Manhattan. He died at age 91 on May 16, 2010, at Calvary Hospital Hospice in The Bronx, New York. He was survived by his wife, Theodosia.
Style
Jones said, "When you listen to a pianist, each note should have its own identity and soul. I try to play evenly. I don’t take too many detours. I stay close to the melody and avoid going too far from it. I want listeners to understand what I’m doing. I aim to stay in the middle of the music while keeping it interesting." The Concord Jazz label, which released albums featuring Jones as both a leader and a collaborator, stated, "Although his style was influenced by the Swing Era, he adapted well to the more complex rules of bop. He created a clear approach that combined swing and bop in a way that was personal and adaptable. He could perform successfully with almost any musician."
Recognition and awards
Although Hank Jones was not very well-known, his colleagues respected him a lot. Oscar Peterson said his own musical influences included Art Tatum and Jones. He also called Jones one of the great "long-line players" in jazz, along with Bill Evans and Cedar Walton. Ahmad Jamal praised Jones for his "wonderful touch." McCoy Tyner said, "I loved Hank's playing… his playing was something." Keith Jarrett described Jones' playing as "Tasty. Beyond just tasty. No, it's stimulating. Tasty and stimulating." John Lewis named Jones one of the pianists he listened to most often. André Previn called Jones his favorite pianist, "regardless of idiom." George Shearing said that Jones was one of his "strongest influences" and that he is "one of the most underrated pianists in the business. He has a beautiful, deep sound, clarity, and a sense of economy. Impeccable taste."
Younger pianists, like Kenny Barron, Bill Charlap, Eric Reed, and Geoffrey Keezer, also admired Jones. Keezer recorded an album of Jones' compositions for Telarc in piano duos with Barron, Chick Corea, Benny Green, and Mulgrew Miller.
In addition to the honors mentioned above, in 2005, Jones was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music at the 20th anniversary of jazz education at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, Italy.
- Career Wins: 2009: Lifetime Achievement Grammy
- Career Nominations: 5