As the eldest of the three Jones brothers, Hank Jones (87) is the most quiet and thoughtful musician. He witnessed jazz evolve and he saw all the styles pass by. Jones, a professional musician since the beginning of the forties, was one of the first pianists who was open to bebop, in a time where people like Billy Eckstine, Ella Fitzgerald and Charlie Parker used his services. Through the years he outlived many jazz musicians, amongst others his younger famous brothers, trumpeter Thad and drummer Elvin, who died in 2004. In general Jones is considered a representative of the first generation that played bebop. The
Hank Jones Trio performs with the talented Italian singer
Roberta Gambarini. The vocalist, who in 1998 got a scholarship to study at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, won the third prize at the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Vocal Competition in Washington D.C. in that same year. Since then Gambarini has worked with many international jazz artists, like Billy Higgins, Harold Land, Ben Riley and the band of T.S. Monk. With her warm, dark timbre and her capabilities to scat, Gambarini completes the trio for this concert full of jazz standards.
