For
Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Vol. 16, Concord persuaded a reigning giant of the piano to record at Maybeck's Yamaha keyboard -- and the result is one of the most musical, and certainly one of the most enjoyable, concerts in the whole series. Recorded closely enough so that you can hear him grunting along with the music,
Hank Jones gives full vent to his melodic gifts in a brace of pop and jazz standards from several decades, never staying on any of them for more than five minutes, and rarely falling back on the usual pianistic bop patterns. Starting out with very attractive stride work on "I'll Guess I Have to Change My Plan" and "It's the Talk of the Town," he always chooses his notes with care while rarely losing touch with the pulse of jazz, which is all too tempting in a solo format. Among the more touching moments are the treatments of "I Cover the Waterfront" and "Memories of You"; "Blue Monk" and
Joe Bushkin's "Oh, Look at Me Now" have the most wit. ~ Richard S. Ginell