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A gentleman, a truly great musician and a cultural icon - - - Hank Jones. RIP. I was lucky enough to sit in on his interview last summer at the Detroit Jazz Fest, not suspecting it would be the last time I saw or heard him. We've lost a last link to the greatest generation of jazz and the last of the 'Jones Boys'. I'm greatly saddened.
The last of the great Jones brothers of Pontiac. My parents knew his late brothers Thad and Elvin a bit, and I was fortunate to get to see Hank play several times over the past few years. The last time I saw him was on my birthday trip to NYC just last year, and he played wonderfully during an extended set that saw a number of jazz stars like Wynton Marsalis coming by to sit in. I was also lucky to get to speak to him on a couple of occasions, and like everyone else found him to be a deeply intelligent, interesting, and gently humorous man who was, above all else, a gentleman in the best sense of the term.
Mark Stryker had a nice piece about him in the Free Press, with a wonderful video attached:
http://www.freep.com/article/2010051...ank-Jones-dies
Let's see if this photo will post.
Apparently not. I have a nice photo of Hank Jones sitting at his piano. I must've scanned it wrong. Sorry.
Here is a photo that I stole from: idigjazz.blogspot.com/
Thanks Bob. That's a really nice photo.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobl
A couple of fine videos of the late Hank Jones.
Here he is at Carnegie Hall playing a truly lovely version of "Willow Weep for Me":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUWZzj0TU1s
And here Hank tells some stories of his early life in music, explains bebop to you, and plays beautifully too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqbid4dYmwA
Skip: as Mose Allison sang "The Earth WantsYou". Sue and I are planning on cremation. RIP to our brother from Pontiac.
Some of Hank's interview from the 2009 Jazzfest will be posted on the DJF website in June.
Hank didn't spend much time in Detroit, but he did have a few gigs in the early 40s. He went to NY around 1944 where he joined Lips Page's excellent combo.
We managed to dig up a photo from one of Hank's Det gigs which he'd never before seen - it was taken at a club in 1943.
Jim, you should be the official DYES jazz historian. Post more often!