Hank Jones played piano for Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald and nearly everyone else before passing away two years ago at age 91. One of his last acts was recording religious tunes with standup bassist Charlie Haden. Childhood memories arrive in interwoven reverence with a jazz accent. It’s a master class in how certain century-old black spirituals influenced popular music. With these notes drifting overhead, one might hear “Swanee River” or “Home on the Range.” However, when “Gimme that Old Time Religion” becomes “I’m Stuck on Band-Aid,” it’s time to focus on this ageless, in every sense, collaboration.
This article appears in Mar 29 – Apr 4, 2012.