Joe Webb plays the music of Hank Jones - Feb. 27

Joe Webb (piano)

Bird, Ella, Nancy Wilson, Hank Jones worked with some of the best in the business. This afternoon Joe Webb played some of the best of Hank Jones, taking a look at the American's 1956 album Have You Met Hank Jones*. A fabulous selection of GASbook numbers, together with a couple of Jones' original compositions, beginning with It Had to be You. But...before our host got under way there was an issue with the live stream camera set up. Webb appeared sideways on until his online audience alerted him to the issue. Sellotape or gaffer tape put matters right. Webb is prone to humming along to his masterful piano playing. If it was good enough for Oscar P... 

Jones' Kankakee Shout compared favourably alongside the classic material (the tune named after the city of Kankakee, Illinois...no, me neither!). Great tune, referencing the stride players of an earlier generation, think an elegant Carolina Shout. Webb kept up to speed with the online comment, his fan base growing by the week. Gone with the Wind played with nonchalant brilliance, Have You Met Miss Jones?, of course, then more gremlins plagued the live stream as Webb's voice instantly played back, our man blissfully unaware of the distraction. To close, the second of Hank Jones' numbers, titled simply, Solo Blues. Joe Webb returns next Saturday at two o'clock to play the music of Erroll Garner, but before then, Joe returns to Kansas Smitty's on Wednesday evening in the company of Alec Harper, Dave Archer and Ferg Ireland.       

 * Many albums of the period seemingly regarded the question mark (?) as an optional extra (the original cover art on Jones' album omitted it). 

Russell

Set list: It Had to be You;  Heart and Soul; Let's Fall in Love; But Not for Me; Kankakee Shout; Body and Soul; How About You?; Gone with the Wind; Teddy's Dream; Have You Met Miss Jones?; You Don't Know What Love Is; Solo Blues