Hank Jones worked with virtually all the greats, including Coleman Hawkins, Wes Montgomery, Charlie Parker, Ben Webster and Billie Holiday, and was Ella Fitzgerald's main pianist from 1948 to 1953. Hank Jones was born into a musical family that would produce three of the greatest names in jazz: his brother Elvin (1927-2004) was one of the finest jazz drummers who ever lived, and another younger brother, Thad (1923-86) was one of the best trumpeters and also a gifted and influential composer of note. Always open to new approaches to music, it should be noted that Hank Jones was one of the first pianists to take on the (then new) language of bebop. This new recording, with longtime sidemen George Mraz (bass) and Dennis Mackrel (drums), reflects Jones' impeccable taste, with the master choosing such unpredictable compositions as Tom Harrell's "Because I Love You" and Al Foster's "Pauletta", alongside such timeless Ellingtonia as "Sophisticated Lady" and "Prelude To A Kiss" and the much-admired Billy Strayhorn's "Johnny Come Lately" and "Lotus Blossom".
