Hank Jones has recorded in many different settings over the years, but this bop-third stream session blending a piano trio with a classical string quartet is one of his more unusual sessions.
Jones, accompanied by bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Dennis Mackrel, is the primary soloist, though there is space for Reid as well, while the string quartet primarily provides color and contrast for the trio.
The ten standards are arranged with flair by Manny Albam (though his name is missing entirely from the credits to the Laserlight reissue).
While this sort of date is an acquired taste for some jazz fans, it is by no means a typical "with strings" session, due to Jones' considerable chops and Albam's imaginative charts.
Highlights include the brisk bossa nova setting of "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" and the dramatic, upbeat scoring of "Caravan.".
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Sleeping BeeHarold Arlen, Truman Capote | Hank Jones, Meridian String Quartet | Play | 05:03 | 11 MB | 14 MB |
| 2 | Ill WindHarold Arlen, Ted Koehler | Hank Jones, Meridian String Quartet | Play | 07:20 | 16 MB | 33 MB |
| 3 | CaravanDuke Ellington, Irving Mills, Juan Tizol | Hank Jones, Meridian String Quartet | Play | 05:33 | 12 MB | 29 MB |
| 4 | My Funny ValentineLorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers | Hank Jones, Meridian String Quartet | Play | 09:22 | 21 MB | 42 MB |
| 5 | There's a Small HotelLorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers | Hank Jones, Meridian String Quartet | Play | 05:04 | 11 MB | 26 MB |
| 6 | Softly, as in a Morning SunriseOscar Hammerstein II, Sigmund Romberg | Hank Jones, Meridian String Quartet | Play | 04:14 | 9 MB | 22 MB |
| 7 | They Can't Take That Away from MeGeorge Gershwin, Ira Gershwin | Hank Jones, Meridian String Quartet | Play | 06:20 | 14 MB | 30 MB |
| 8 | Love Walked InGeorge Gershwin, Ira Gershwin | Hank Jones, Meridian String Quartet | Play | 05:32 | 12 MB | 25 MB |
| 9 | Russian LullabyeIrving Berlin | Hank Jones, Meridian String Quartet | Play | 03:28 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 10 | What Is This Thing Called Love | Hank Jones | Play | 05:45 | 13 MB | 29 MB |
| 57 mins | 132 MB | |||||
| 57 mins | 272 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manny Albam | Arranger, Conductor |
| 2 | Jim Anderson | Engineer |
| 3 | Harold Arlen | Composer |
| 4 | Deborah Assael | Cello |
| 5 | Irving Berlin | Composer |
| 6 | Truman Capote | Composer |
| 7 | Duke Ellington | Composer |
| 8 | Racheal Evans | Viola |
| 9 | George Gershwin | Composer |
| 10 | Ira Gershwin | Composer |
| 11 | Oscar Hammerstein II | Composer |
| 12 | Lorenz Hart | Composer |
| 13 | Hank Jones | Piano, Primary Artist |
| 14 | Ted Koehler | Composer |
| 15 | Sonny Lester | Executive Producer, Producer |
| 16 | Dennis Mackrel | Drums |
| 17 | Meridian String Quartet | Primary Artist |
| 18 | Irving Mills | Composer |
| 19 | Cole Porter | Composer |
| 20 | Rufus Reid | Bass |
| 21 | Richard Rodgers | Composer |
| 22 | Sigmund Romberg | Composer |
| 23 | Sebu Sirinian | Violin |
| 24 | Lisa Tipton | Violin |
| 25 | Juan Tizol | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |