Three Masters Revisiting the Bebop Blueprint
Jones is sensitive on the ballads and lightly but firmly swinging on the uptempo material.
Hank Jones, George Duvivier, and Ben Riley recorded this trio session during a period when bebop standards were everywhere in jazz — some musicians playing them straight, others deconstructing them. AllMusic awarded it four stars, calling it "a set of high-quality explorations of eight bop standards" and noting that Jones brought typical tasteful performances from one of the greats. It arrived without fanfare on the Muse label but proved immediately solid to anyone paying attention.
The album sits squarely in Jones's wheelhouse: a working trio playing Parker and Monk through the lens of mature musicians who understood what these tunes meant. On the ballads, Jones's touch is tender and unhurried. On faster material, the trio swings with lightness and real authority — no strain, just three players who trust each other. Duvivier's bass and Riley's drums provide the kind of conversational support that lets Jones think out loud at the keyboard.
The Penguin Guide noted something worth hearing: Jones smoothed the jagged edges of the Monk pieces, turning them into something more polished than the originals, while the Parker material stayed closer to source. That difference matters. This isn't a record trying to reinvent bebop. It's a record of expert craftsmen respecting the standards while making them their own through sheer musicianship and restraint.
Who's playing
Where next?
More by Hank Jones
All 26 albums →
