1) Music: Satin Doll (Ellington) (12/17) 2) Vox: Mulgrew Miller (MM int. #252, 10/2/98 at 15:40)

"He is a gentleman first. You notice that right away.// A very refined personality. And that comes through in his music. Taste."

George Mraz (MZ int. #252, 10/2/98 at 0:22)

"//He's special in every way (laugh).// (note: skip a couple sentences) "First time I really heard of him was from Oscar Peterson when I used to play with him // and he always talked about Hank Jones. He had two favorites. Art Tatum and Hank Jones."

3) Bradley: MUSICIANS HAVE A GREAT RESPECT FOR HANK JONES, BUT FOR MOST OF HIS CAREER, HE HAS BEEN CONSIDERED MORE A TEAM PLAYER THAN A JAZZ STAR. THROUGH THE LATE '40S AND EARLY '50S, HE BACKED ELLA FITZGERALD AND TRAVELED WITH THE ENSEMBLE CALLED "JAZZ AT THE PHILHARMONIC". HE RECORDED WITH THE GREATS: BENNY GOODMAN, CHARLIE PARKER, AND MILT JACKSON. THEN HE SPENT SEVENTEEN YEARS WITH THE CBS STUDIO ORCHESTRA, CHOOSING A STEADY PAYCHECK AND FAMILY LIFE OVER THE UNCERTAINTIES OF THE ROAD.

3) Bradley: (cont.)

BUT NOW THE PIANO PLAYER SWINGS INTO THE MILLENNIUM AS A SOLOIST AND LEADER, AND AUDIENCES ARE WAKING UP TO WHAT HIS FELLOW MUSICIANS HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN. HANK JONES HAS JUST ABOUT THE MEANEST SET OF CHOPS IN THE BUSINESS. JONES SOLOS WITH SEVEN DECADES OF KEYBOARD EXPERIENCE IN "STRIDE, SWING, BEBOP AND BEYOND."

IT’S JAZZ FROM LINCOLN CENTER. I'M ED BRADLEY.

4) Music: (fades)

5) Bradley:

FOR OVER 4 YEARS, HANK JONES TOURED THE WORLD WITH ELLA FITZGERALD. IN THEIR SONGBOOK WAS THE ELLINGTON SWINGER, "LOVE YOU MADLY." HANK JONES. 6) Vox: Hank Jones (HJ 12/18 int. at 57:30)

"I remember when I was working with Ella at one point, Adlai Stevenson who was running for President, this was before your time,// so from time to time, Ella would say, 'Love you, Adlai.' (laugh) // I've always liked the tune, it has a nice lilting kind of movement. (snaps fingers)."

 

7) Bradley

AT THE STANLEY KAPLAN PENTHOUSE, HANK JONES -- "LOVE YOU MADLY." 8) Music: Love You Madly (Ellington)

(12/17/99 concert, 3:31)

9) Bradley:

HANK JONES WITH "LOVE YOU MADLY, " DUKE ELLINGTON'S SIGNATURE SIGN-OFF. JONES WAS BORN IN 1918 AND GREW UP IN PONTIAC, MICHIGAN. HE’S ONE OF SEVEN CHILDREN, THREE OF WHOM BECAME HALL OF FAME MUSICIANS. THAD JONES WAS A TRUMPETER AND COMPOSER WHO CO-LED THE THAD JONES-MEL LEWIS BIG BAND. PROBABLY THE BEST KNOWN MEMBER OF THE FAMILY IS ELVIN JONES, THE PIONEERING JAZZ DRUMMER WHO WAS A MEMBER OF JOHN COLTRANE'S CLASSIC QUARTET. IN A 1962 SESSION WITH DUKE ELLINGTON, COLTRANE AND ELVIN JONES RECORDED DUKE’S "IN A SENTIMENTAL MOOD." THEY PLAYED IT AS A BALLAD, BUT TODAY, HANK JONES FOLLOWS THE FASTER TEMPO OF ELLINGTON’S 1935 ORIGINAL. ITS LUSH HARMONIES AND CHROMATIC RUNS MAKE A GREAT SHOWCASE FOR HIS PIANISTIC GIFTS. 10) Vox: Hank Jones (HJ int. at 52:30)

"I like the way it moves. I like the chord progression of it.// (note: skip about :30) The tune itself sort of inspires you, you know."

 

11) Bradley

PIANIST HANK JONES--- "IN A SENTIMENTAL MOOD."

12) Music: In a Sentimental Mood (Ellington) (12/17 concert at 5:57)

13) Bradley:

HANK JONES PERFORMED "IN A SENTIMENTAL MOOD." JONES IS ALMOST TWENTY YEARS YOUNGER THAN HIS MUSICAL HERO DUKE ELLINGTON. BUT THEY SHARE MUSICAL ROOTS IN THE TWO-HANDED PIANO STYLE KNOWN AS STRIDE. (Music underscoring: stride piano)IN THE TEENS AND 'TWENTIES, HARLEM PIANISTS LIKE JAMES P. JOHNSON AND WILLIE "THE LION" SMITH PIONEERED THIS VIRTUOSIC STYLE WHERE THE PIANIST DRIVES THE TUNE WITH HIS LEFT HAND AND EMBELLISHES THE MELODY WITH HIS RIGHT. 14) Vox: Hank Jones (HJ int. at 22:50)

"They played with both hands, they were two-handed pianists, that is they didn't play with one hand tied behind their back like a lot of younger people did later. // And I think that's how my style, assuming that I have a style, that's how it developed."

 

15) Bradley:YOU CAN HEAR THE ECHOS OF HARLEM STRIDE WHEN HANK JONES PLAYS THIS NEXT TUNE. 16) Vox: Hank Jones (HJ int. at 37:50)

"It lends itself to a slow kind of stride feel,// a modified stride, not just a repetitive thing but a few other things you do with your left hand. // I don't think I’ve ever played it twice exactly the same way."

17) Bradley:

FROM THE STANLEY KAPLAN PENTHOUSE, HANK JONES - "DON'T BLAME ME."

18) Music: Don't Blame Me (12/18 concert, 5:10)

19) Bradley:

JIMMY McHUGH’S 1932 "DON'T BLAME ME." ANOTHER IMPORTANT ELEMENT IN THE MUSICAL EDUCATION OF HANK JONES WAS THE CHURCH, SOMETHING YOU MIGHT GUESS FROM "STEAL AWAY," THE WELL-RECEIVED 1995 ALBUM OF SPIRITUALS HE MADE WITH BASSIST CHARLIE HADEN. 20) Vox: Hank Jones (HJ int. at 59:30)

"I played piano and organ in my church//. My father insisted on that.// I had an uncle who was a sanctified preacher, he was a preacher in a sanctified church, my uncle Joseph. // His church was right down the street from Trinity Baptist where we used to go. And we could hear this music from the sanctified church while we’re listening to the services at our church. They played a lively kind of music, everybody was happy, people used to shout//."

21) Bradley:

AGAIN, JONES FINDS A PARTNER IN DUKE ELLINGTON WHO GREW UP LISTENING TO THE RELIGIOUS MUSIC HIS MOTHER FAVORED. THIS IS ELLINGTON’S "COME SUNDAY."

22) Music: Come Sunday (Ellington) (12/18 concert, 3:29)

23) Bradley:

DUKE ELLINGTON’S "COME SUNDAY." THE PIANIST HANK JONES AT LINCOLN CENTER’S STANLEY KAPLAN PENTHOUSE.IF GOSPEL AND THE STRIDE TRADITION PROVIDED HIS BASIC JAZZ EDUCATION, HANK JONES TOOK HIS ADVANCED DEGREE IN BEBOP. HE LANDED ON 52ND STREET IN THE MID- '40S JUST AS CHARLIE PARKER AND DIZZY GILLESPIE WERE LAUNCHING THAT NEW STYLE OF MODERN JAZZ. 24) Vox: Hank Jones (HJ int. at 28:00)

"That's when I was first introduced to the sound and it stuck in my ear, you know. (mutters) Still in there. // To me, it was a great innovation//. The traditional style of music, you used the basic chords. With bop, you used all the intervening chords, all of the passing tones// to me, that was very exciting.// (note: if we have time...) You had to be a very good musician in order to play it effectively because it involved so many chordal changes, harmony changes, and you had to be fluent enough to move from one to the other with a certain amount of dexterity."

 

25) Bradley:

THE STANDARD "ALONE TOGETHER" IS USUALLY PLAYED AS A STRAIGHT ROMANTIC BALLAD. HANK JONES GIVES IT A STRIDE LEFT HAND AND ADDS THE TRICKY HARMONICS OF BEBOP WITH THE RIGHT.

FROM THE KAPLAN PENTHOUSE, "ALONE TOGETHER."

26) Music: Alone Together (Schwartz) (12/17 concert, 5:12)

27) Bradley:

SOLO PIANIST HANK JONES ON THE 1932 ARTHUR SCHWARTZ BALLAD, "ALONE TOGETHER."

28) Midbreak Music: Black Butterfly (Ellington) (12/18)

29) Bradley:

MAJOR SUPPORT FOR JAZZ FROM LINCOLN CENTER IS PROVIDED BY THE LILA WALLACE-READER'S DIGEST FUND, HELPING PEOPLE TO MAKE THE ARTS AND CULTURE AN ACTIVE PART OF THEIR EVERYDAY LIVES.OUR CELEBRATION OF THE ELLINGTON CENTENNIAL IS MADE POSSIBLE WITH SUPPORT FROM THE DORIS DUKE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION.

29) Bradley: (cont.)

FOR MORE ABOUT HANK JONES AND HIS BROTHERS, ELVIN AND THAD, CHECK OUT WWW.JAZZRADIO.ORG. YOU CAN E-MAIL US IN CARE OF RADIO@JAZZATLINCOLNCENTER.ORG, OR WRITE TO JAZZ FROM LINCOLN CENTER, NEW YORK CITY 10023.YOU'RE LISTENING TO JAZZ FROM LINCOLN CENTER. I'M ED BRADLEY.[Midbreak @ tk -- (incl. :10 as bed for local stations ID's)][music fades to actuality] 30) Vox: George Mraz (GM int. #252 10/2/98 at 9:00)

"Well, I think he knows just about as much as there is to know about playing the piano."

 

31) Bradley:

GEORGE MRAZ HAS PLAYED BASS IN THE HANK JONES TRIO SINCE THE EARLY SEVENTIES. 32) Vox: George Mraz (GM int. #252 10/2/98 at 9:05)

"The styles come and go.// He absorbs the best of it and incorporates it in his own way//."

 

33) Bradley: PIANIST MULGREW MILLER. 34) Vox: Mulgrew Miller (MM int. #252 10/2/98 at 2:30)

"His artistry is such that he sort of crosses all of the boundaries, especially of generations.//He can sound traditional and new at the same time. He has that uncanny ability to sound timeless."

 

35) Bradley:

HANK JONES SOUNDS TIMELESS BECAUSE HE’S ABLE TO EMBRACE NEW STYLES WITHOUT DISCARDING THE PAST. AT THE PIANO, HE COMBINES AN OLD-FASHIONED, ALMOST DANCING SENSE OF RHYTHM WITH A HARMONIC SOPHISTICATION EQUAL TO ANYONE'S IN JAZZ. IN THIS WAY, HE IS A KINDRED SPIRIT TO DUKE ELLINGTON.HERE HE TACKLES ONE OF DUKE’S FAMILIAR TUNES. HE ALTERS THE HARMONY FOR A DARKER SOUND, THEN TURNS THE SONG INTO A SURPRISING ELLINGTON RETROSPECTIVE. HANK JONES --- "SATIN DOLL."

36) Music: Satin Doll (Ellington) (12/17 concert 3:32)

 

37) Vox: Hank Jones (HJ int. at 55:00)

"The excerpts that I put in on the second and third choruses were also Duke Ellington tunes//. Like "Beginning to See the Light," you know (laugh) "Rockin' in Rhythm.' And also, a part of a tune called "Tulip or Turnip"// I just used the second and third bars of that and also// you might have heard "Azure." (sings) I thought that might make it a little more interesting."

 

38) Bradley: HANK JONES’ PLAYFUL RENDITION OF DUKE ELLINGTON’S "SATIN DOLL."THE ONE JAZZ STYLE THAT JONES NEVER TRIED TO ASSIMILATE WAS THE SO-CALLED "FREE JAZZ" EXPERIMENT OF THE '60S. BUT WHEN IT SUITS HIS PURPOSE, HE CAN PUSH INTO DISSONANCE AND ATONALITY, MAKING OTHERWISE CONVENTIONAL MATERIAL SOUND STRANGE AND INTRIGUING. THIS MAY CHALLENGE RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN FANS, BUT HERE IS HANK JONES TAKE ON "OH, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNIN.'"

39) Music: Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' (Rodgers) (12/17 concert, 4:35)

40) Bradley:

PIANIST HANK JONES WITH HIS OWN SPIN ON RICHARD RODGERS 1943 "OH, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNIN'" ---FROM LINCOLN CENTER’S STANLEY KAPLAN PENTHOUSE.

41) Vox: Mulgrew Miller (MM int. #252 10/2/98 at 11:23)

"//Although Hank has fantastic technique,// his technique is never running away with him."

 

42) Bradley:

THE PIANIST MULGREW MILLER.

 

43) Vox: Mulgrew Miller (MM int. #252 10/2/98 at 11:28)

"It serves him.// His knowledge of chords and harmony allows him to play the best sounding notes// all of the time. That's kinda my idea of what taste is."

 

44) Bradley:

HANK JONES KNOWS THAT GOOD TASTE OFTEN DEMANDS RESTRAINT--- PLAYING LESS THAN YOU CAN. LISTEN TO HOW HE APPROACHES THIS TUNE FROM "THE GOLDEN APPLE," A MOSTLY FORGOTTEN MUSICAL. 45) Vox: Hank Jones (HJ int. at 40:15)

"I was immediately attracted to the melody.// (note: skip a couple sentences) It just needs a little something more to support it. So you use an ostinato kind of left hand kind of thing.// (note: skip forward about a minute) Sometimes you can hurt something by trying to do too much with it and that was my feeling on this one."

 

46) Bradley:

AT THE KAPLAN PENTHOUSE, HANK JONES LETS THE MELODY DO THE TALKING ON "LAZY AFTERNOON."

47) Music: Lazy Afternoon (Moross) (12/17 concert, 4:15)

48) Bradley:

PIANIST HANK JONES WITH THE JEROME MOROSS EXCURSION "LAZY AFTERNOON." IN THAT TUNE, JONES USED "AN OSTINATO" - A SIMPLE, REPEATING FIGURE TO CREATE A SLOW, MEANDERING MOOD. HE CHOOSES THIS SAME TECHNIQUE TO SET AN URBANE BLUES BY SAXOPHONIST AND ARRANGER OLIVER NELSON. IT’S WRITTEN IN 6/4 TIME - CALLED APPROPRIATELY, "SIX AND FOUR."

49) Music: Six and Four (Nelson) (12/18 concert, 4:42)

50) Bradley:

HANK JONES PERFORMED OLIVER NELSON'S BLUES, "SIX AND FOUR."THIS IS JAZZ FROM LINCOLN CENTER. I'M ED BRADLEY.AN INSPIRED VETERAN LIKE HANK JONES KNOWS THAT SIMPLICITY CAN BE AN ASSET AND A CHALLENGE -- AN IDEA THAT DUKE ELLINGTON UNDERSTOOD. ON MOOD PIECES, SUCH AS "CARAVAN," DUKE MINIMIZED CHORD CHANGES TO CREATE RHYTHMIC GROOVES AND EXOTIC-SOUNDING ORCHESTRAL ARRANGEMENTS. OF COURSE, WHEN JONES PLAYS SOLO, HE DOESN'T HAVE DUKE'S ORCHESTRA AT HIS DISPOSAL. 51) Vox: Hank Jones (HJ int. at 53:30)

"That's a difficult piece to play (laughs) because the chord doesn't change that much.// I concocted this figure// where I play the chord up at the top and then maybe a rhythmic figure down below, combined with some things in the bass//. Try to keep it interesting, that was my main idea there//."

52) Bradley:

HANK JONES KEEPS THINGS INTERESTING ON "CARAVAN."

53) Music: Caravan (Tizol/Ellington) (12/18 concert,4:40)

54) Bradley:

DUKE ELLINGTON AND JUAN TIZOL’S 1937 "CARAVAN" – PIANIST HANK JONES.WE'LL CLOSE OUT THIS PROGRAM WITH TWO EVERGREENS FROM THE ELLINGTON SONGBOOK. THEY’RE TUNES THAT JONES MUST HAVE PLAYED A THOUSAND TIMES DURING HIS CAREER. IT DOESN'T MATTER. HE APPROACHES THEM AS HE DOES ALL OF JAZZ -- ALL OF MUSIC -- WITH UNDIMINISHED SPIRIT AND TECHNIQUE. HANK JONES -- "MOOD INDIGO" AND "TAKE THE 'A' TRAIN."

55) Music: Mood Indigo (Ellington) and Take the 'A' Train (Strayhorn) (12/18 concert, no pause between tunes, total,4:08)

56) Bradley: DUKE ELLINGTON’S "MOOD INDIGO" AND BILLY STRAYHORN’S "TAKE THE 'A' TRAIN." PIANO MASTER HANK JONES AT THE STANLEY KAPLAN PENTHOUSE.

57) Music: Don’t Get Around Much Anymore (Ellington) (12/18)

58) Bradley: (Credits) JAZZ FROM LINCOLN CENTER IS PRODUCED BY JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER AND MURRAY STREET ENTERPRISE NEW YORK. THIS PROGRAM WAS WRITTEN BY JOSEPH HOOPER AND EDITED BY LAUREN KRENZEL. OUR SENIOR PRODUCER IS STEVE RATHE.THE RECORDINGS WERE MIXED BY EDWARD HABER AND MICHAEL DeMARK, WITH DIGITAL POST PRODUCTION BY DAVID GOREN AT STEVEN ERICKSON'S.THE PRODUCTION TEAM INCLUDES AVE CARRILLO, GWENDOLYN DEAN, JOSHUA JACKSON, TRACEY SCHUTTY, AND PETER ZANGER.THANKS TO L.E. HOWELL, CHRISTA TETER, SUSAN RADIN, THE RADIOFOUNDATION, AND THE STAFF AT THE KAPLAN PENTHOUSE.THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER AND DIRECTOR OF JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER IS ROB GIBSON. THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR IS WYNTON MARSALIS.

I'M ED BRADLEY. THIS IS N-P-R, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO.