LiveOne
Born Henry Jones on July 31, 1918 in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Hank Jones was a jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader. While he had a very respected musical career that earned him six Grammy Awards, he will forever be known as the man playing the piano during Marilyn Monroe’s May 1962 performance of “Happy Birthday, Mr. President”, as sung to John F. Kennedy during a celebration of the then-president’s 45th birthday. The brother of jazz drummer Elvin Jones and jazz trumpeter Thad Jones, Hank Jones was a highly respected bandleader, arranger and composer. At the age of 13, he was already playing local gigs regularly and within 10 years, he was a well-respected and accomplished pianist and an in-demand session musician. In 1948, he accompanied Ella Fitzgerald on her tour of the UK. He also collaborated with Charlie Parker and can be heard on some of his best known recordings. Hank Jones formed a trio featuring Wendell Marshall (double bass) and Kenny Clarke (drums). They released their debut album, The Trio, in 1955. As a sideman, he continued at a prolific pace, working with Pepper Adams, Chet Baker, Cannonball Adderley, Bob Brookmeyer, J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding, Lester Young, and many others. Between 1959 and 1975, Hank Jones worked at CBS as a staff pianist, using his talents for a variety of shows including Captain Kangaroo, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Jackie Gleason Show, The Arthur Godfrey Show, and more. During his time with CBS, he curtailed a lot of his session work and only released a few solo albums. After leaving CBS, he reignited his jazz career and revived the Hank Jones Trio, although the bass and drum positions would be filled be a revolving cast of musicians. The Hank Jones Trio released a series of albums including Arigato (1977), Portions (1978), Have You Met This Jones? (1978), and Jazz at Prague 2009. The trio also collaborated with several artists over the years including Shelly Manne, Sonny Stitt, Chris Connor, Harry Allen, and others. Hank Jones died on May 16, 2010 at the age of 91.
Please enable Javascript to view this page competely.
