Hank Jones in the Studio, Swinging Easy
A relaxed small-group date where Jones lets the piano breathe alongside horns and rhythm.
This is what happens when you put Hank Jones at the piano with a working band that knows how to listen. The sound is warm and unhurried — Jones's touch is always precise, never rushed, and here he sits easy in the pocket with Kenny Clarke on drums and Eddie Jones on bass, the rhythm section locked but never tight-fisted. Joe Newman on trumpet and both Frank Foster and Paul Quinichette on tenor saxophone trade phrases over standards and originals, nobody hogging the solo space, everybody trading respectfully. Sir Jonathan Gasser on guitar adds color without clutter.
The album captures Jones early in his solo recording career, when he was still finding his voice as a bandleader rather than a sideman. These are straightforward blowing sessions, the kind that used to happen routinely in New York studios, and the joy here is in the craft — the way Jones comps behind the horns, economical and swinging, or steps out for a solo that's all intelligence and no flash. There's no gimmick, no overdub wizardry, just five or six musicians playing together, listening, responding.
This isn't one of Jones's landmark recordings, but it's solid work from a pianist who would spend decades proving he was one of jazz's most dependable voices. Start elsewhere if you want to hear him at his most celebrated, but if you want a snapshot of a working jazzman in the studio, unadorned and swinging, this delivers.
Who's playing
Eddie Jonesdouble bass
Hank Jonespiano
Sir Jonathan Gasserguitar
Frank Fostertenor saxophone
Paul Quinichettetenor saxophone
Joe Newmantrumpet
Kenny Clarkedrums
Where next?
More by Hank Jones
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