Eldest brother of Hank and Thad, pianist Hank Jones was one of the pioneers of bebop piano, having done sessions with artists ranging from Coleman Hawkins to Charlie Parker and Ella Fitzgerald. He was classy and swinging in every and any setting, with nary a wrong note or chord. This eight disc set puts together his six earliest albums from the bebop Savoy label, as well as a few from Capitol, Metro Jazz and ABC. If you want to know what bop is supposed to sound like, look no further.
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While his strength throughout his career was the trio, only the 1955 debut has him in that setting, and it’ s a delight with “”We’re All Together” and “Now’s The Time” with Kenny Clarke/dr and Wendell Marshall/b. Next is a 1956 mix and match quartet/quintet with Donald Byrd-Matt Dice/tp, still with Clarke on drums for jams on “An Evening At Papa Joe’s” and “An’ Then Some”. The same band brings in Jerome Richardson/ts-fl and Herbie Mann/flfor a marathon of “Bluebird” and snazzy “How High The Moon”. Jones then puts out a rare solo album that has him in almost baroque style on “How About You” and “Teddy’s Dream”. A quartet with Bobby Jaspar/fl, Paul Chambers/b and Clarke simmers on “Relaxin’ At Camarillo” and elegant for “Moonlight Becomes You” while a rare teaming with a guirist, Barry Galbraith, is a winner on “Stary Eyes” and “Easy To Love”. Jones then brings in his brothers Thad/tp-fh and Elvin/dr along with Eddie Jones/b for a fun “Keepin’ Up With The Joneses” and fun “On The Alamo”. Last but not least is a hoot of a ringer, as Jones goes ragtime with Milt Hinton/b and Osie Johnson/dr for takes of pre-swing pieces like “Maple Leaf Rag” and “Sensation Rag”. Does anyone play like this anymore?