There’s Old Rick Wakeman and there’s “Young No More” HANK JONES - hear some HANK

Recently, Rick Wakeman performed in concert. Shabby of hair, stubbled of face, sporting a paunch, but still wearing a CAPE and acting like this was the dawning of the Age of Pretentiousness, he dazzled the gawking crowd. Ooo, watta Keyboard Hero! 

What denotes a keyboard hero? Same thing that defines a guitar hero: the ability to play FAST. And wowie zowie, look at all that gear! Dr. Frankenstein in his lab didn't have such cool stuff.

The big problem with keyboard heroes is that they're stuck at the keyboard. Unless you're on the right side of the stage (usually the left side) you can't see their fingers. Maybe you can if you're up in the balcony peeping down, or you're one of that cheering stadium throng of 50,000 who all came to watch TV on a giant screen, because from where you are, the guy on stage is barely a fly speck. 

Interesting that in the world of progrock, there are only two keyboard heroes, really: Rick Wakeman and the late Keith Emerson. They played FAST, LOUD and used synths. Classical and jazz pianists (and even Randy Newman, Elton John and Billy Joel) use an acoustic piano, so they play with nuance and emotion. That's why there are more PIANIST heroes in the music world than progrock synth stars.

After viewing Capeman, and learning he's still alive, and still has devoted fans,  I happened to put the headphones on, and play some miscellaneous jazz. Usually about an hour is more than enough of a fix. Like country, and even classical, jazz can get pretty annoying after too long. That's unlike the music of ELP or YES, which gets annoying after five minutes. 

One piece really sauced my cauliflowers (like the jive talk? I stole that phrase off liner notes on a Spike Jones record). It was "Young No More" by the old and now dead Hank Jones. And it reminded me of what a REAL keyboard hero can do on a Steinway. While synth albums get old for most people, acoustic piano albums remain fresh for a much wider audience. Put it this way, ELP and YES are in the bargain bin. Hank Jones, not so much.

Hank Jones. He might be an obscure name to the average music fan who at least knows about Oscar Peterson, Errol Garner, Fats Waller and Art Tatum. But...

....Hey, you know who was at the piano when Marilyn Monroe sang her ridiculously sultry “Happy Birthday Mr. President” to her fuck-buddy JFK? It was Hank Jones! 


Hank died back on May 16, 2010. He was "Young No More" when people began appreciating him and giving him honors: 1989’s Jazz Masters award from The National Endowment for the Arts (hope he was endowed with a check), 2003’s “Living Legend” award from ASCAP (who care about piracy and royalty payments SO much), and 2008’s “National Medal of Arts.”


Hank’s early career was as a session man and accompanist. He was Ella Fitzgerald’s pianist in the late 40’s and early 50’s, and was support on recordings by Charlie Parker, Wes Montgomery, Nancy Wilson and Cannonball Adderley. He was hired by Savoy to sit on most of the sessions they booked for well known soloists, and his day job for 15 years was working at CBS where he was often called in to back a singer on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” He toured the world doing jazz festivals, and was well liked and respected by his peers, sitting in on dozens and dozens of all-star recording sessions. And yes, he put out some solo albums as well for hipsters in the know. 

IF I’M BEING HONEST, as they say in the U.K., I found “Young No More” pleasant on first listen, but it grabbed me when, instead of background music, I happened to just lie back, close my eyes, and really listen, with headphones. Sometimes with pianists, this IS the way to really appreciate the nuances of tempo, phrasing, and shades of volume. In both jazz and classical, it’s not just about dexterity, but when a piece requires it, whether it’s Chopin, Bach, or “Young No More” (by Frank Metis) it creates a whole different awe. 

“Young No More” starts out with a spooky-cool lope, the bass line recalling Vic Mizzy’s “Night Walker,”  or something out of Vince Guaraldi’s “Charlie Brown” smooth bag of tasty tricks. What’s this? Sounds like Snoopy stalking the Red Baron or something. But after the jeepers creepers, a different gear kicks in, and, as they say, the song begins to swing all over the keys. I mean, SWING. Dance, pirouette, slip, slide, ravel with patterns that seem spontaneous but have mathematical precision. In rock, bassists are handed a solo; here, the bassist works with the pianist, the two instruments like loves, till a drum break separates them, and the song eases back into what someone crude might call a post-coital rest. We often take this for granted when it’s playing in the background at a restaurant. But the way this finger-spider weaves complexity without sacrificing melody is a wonder of nature. And then, as killer-easy as this piece turned into virtuosity, it slid back to the original cool; over and out. 

Not a surprise that “Note for Note,” a documentary on how Steinway makes a concert grand piano, included Hank among the pianists talking tech. The greats are not only technically proficient, and use the finest instruments, they take a supernatural joy and an almost religious devotion to making music that captures a full range of emotion. It’s a rare thing, whether in rock, pop, country, classical or jazz.

So, on July 29, nice to know old Wakeman is still around playing for geezers who still love him, and would even want to waddle onto a cruise ship to see him and pester him for a selfie, and a birthday remembrance to Hank Jones, who would be 101 if he lived to his birthday, July 31. 

Try it with headphones: YOUNG NO MORE - Hank Jones - no dodgy foreign website, no spyware, no porn ads. Listen online or download.