Collection: Hank Jones

Hank Jones grew up in Pontiac, Michigan, the eldest of three brothers who together became one of the most remarkable families in jazz history, was playing professionally at thirteen with territory bands around Michigan and Ohio, and arrived in New York in 1944 when Lucky Thompson recommended him to Hot Lips Page. He was on 52nd Street within months and inside the bebop scene, recording with Charlie Parker and working sessions for Savoy Records where his playing was described in liner notes by Bob Blumenthal as "elegant, lyrical, a model of grace without pressure." He toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic from 1947 to 1951, became Ella Fitzgerald's regular pianist from 1948 to 1953, and accompanied everyone from Lester Young and Cannonball Adderley to Wes Montgomery and Coleman Hawkins across hundreds of sides without ever imposing a style that distracted from the music around him. On May 19, 1962, he played piano as Marilyn Monroe sang "Happy Birthday Mr. President" to John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden. From 1959 to 1975 he was staff pianist at CBS studios, including backing Frank Sinatra on the Ed Sullivan Show. He spent the late 1970s as pianist and music director of the Broadway musical "Ain't Misbehavin'." His solo recordings as a leader, particularly for Verve and Savoy, are quieter and more consistently excellent than most jazz buyers realise. His two brothers were Thad Jones, the cornetist and co-leader of the Thad Jones and Mel Lewis Orchestra, and Elvin Jones, the drummer in John Coltrane's classic quartet. Hank was the eldest. He died in New York on May 16, 2010, aged 91, still recording the previous year.