Tokyo Quartet in Full Flight
Each tune gets a solid workout, the excitement of the live moment crackling through every solo.
Ron Carter, Hank Jones, Sadao Watanabe, and Tony Williams recorded this set at Tokyo's Denen Coliseum in 1978, capturing a quartet in genuine accord. For Jones, this was deep in his career—he'd already spent decades as one of the most reliable pianists in jazz, comfortable in any setting, never flashy but always present. This live session shows why: he's not the spotlight here, but he never needs to be. Carter's bass grounds everything with that unmistakable warm authority, Williams drives with precision, and Watanabe's alto floats above with clarity and swing.
What makes this recording matter is the generosity of the space. Each player gets real solo room, and the tunes breathe. This isn't a showcase for any one voice; it's a conversation between equals, the kind of session that felt like it mattered to the musicians playing it. AllMusic reviewer Jim Todd called it "an exuberant, well-recorded set," and you can hear why—the Tokyo audience was clearly engaged, and that energy transferred to the tape. The recording is clean, the performances are solid without strain.
For listeners exploring Jones's catalog, this isn't essential first listening—start with his Blue Note sessions or his work with Art Blakey. But if you're already familiar with his breadth and want to hear him in a live context, playing alongside strong players in a different geography, this captures a working master doing exactly what he did best: supporting, listening, and swinging.
Who's playing
Where next?
More by Hank Jones
All 26 albums →
The musicians on this record
Where? 1961
Ron Carter
plays bass here
plays bass here
Million Dollar Legs 1966
Tony Williams
plays drums (drum set) here
plays drums (drum set) here
