Dill Jones was a phenomenal jazz pianist who recorded only sparingly under his own name, though he made quite a few discs with others. The Welshman was a formidable stride player who also swung like mad. This expanded reissue of the earlier Chiaroscuro LP not only restores a long-deleted album to print, but adds 19 previously unreleased tracks. The core of the original release consisted of his flashy interpretation of "Little Rock Getaway" (his live version appears on the Chiaroscuro CD
Jazz Piano Masters), brilliant renditions of all four of
Bix Beiderbecke's compositions for piano, plus "Davenport Blues" (all of which have been grouped together for this reissue), as well as his shimmering original ballad "Celtic Twilight." The two-CD reissue adds a buoyant take of "Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble," two terrific duets with the legendary
Willie "The Lion" Smith ("Sweet Sue" and "I Found a New Baby"), a playful rendition of
Fats Waller's "My Fate Is in Your Hands," and a romp through
Smith's "Morning Air," a virtual treasure trove for
Dill Jones' fans, who have had few opportunities to find his work on CD. Any stride piano fan not already familiar with
Dill Jones should pick up this highly recommended double-CD set without delay. ~ Ken Dryden