MUSIC REVIEW : Endless Stream of Ideas Flows From Jazz Pianist

Hank Jones isn’t the best known jazz pianist, but in his work you can hear how much he influenced the generations that followed him, such pianists as Tommy Flanagan, Kenny Barron and Barry Harris.

During his first set last Thursday night at Elario’s, Jones, the older brother of jazz drummer Elvin and trumpeter Thad, turned out an endless stream of ideas proving that, at 71, he deserves to be ranked among the greats.

Jones doesn’t rely on a raw physical attack like McCoy Tyner’s. His creations aren’t spacey and abstract like Cecil Taylor’s, nor does Jones go in for a lightweight, romantic approach, like some young New Age-jazz types.

Instead, he uses his floating, feathery touch to produce a bright, clear sound, reminiscent at times of Barron. As a timekeeper, Jones has few equals. His swinging style always implies the beat, no matter how far his improvisations stray from home base.

The pianist was in high spirits, bantering with the audience between songs, ending some numbers tongue- in-cheek by fading the piano down to such a whisper you weren’t quite sure whether the music had stopped or not. All the while, Jones grinned at his listeners playfully.

At times, his improvising was almost classical in its elegance, the melodic inventions flowing from his fingers so fully formed that they sounded like careful compositions. Most phrases had a beginning, middle and end, and, although Jones takes risks, he never seems to miss.

By the time Jones hit “Star Eyes,” San Diego drummer Jim Plank had joined local bassist Bob Magnusson after being delayed, and the trio quickly settled in. After rolling through this tune’s Latin introduction, the group soon made the transition to a straight, driving beat, and Jones sent his right hand on a series of nimble ascents up the keyboard. His solo became increasingly complex, heading into freer, yet melodic, territory, then less-structured ideas. Plank kept the music simmering with delicate brush work.

Along with a versatile right hand, Jones plays interesting left-hand variations. His left is concise but not forceful, and he keeps things interesting, changing from strings of single notes to progressions of chords.

On Cole Porter’s “Love for Sale,” Jones’ left grooved while his right found the signature melody in chords. On this tune and others, Jones showed a real knack for bluesy, funky swing, hanging just a little behind the beat when he wanted more grit. Magnusson bounced along stride for stride, sometimes plucking his strings forcefully enough to give them an audible snap.

Jones’s repertoire is an eclectic bag, indeed. Compositions by Duke Ellington, Mary Lou Williams and Toots Thielemans rounded out the set, along with the standard “On Green Dolphin Street.”

According to Magnusson, Jones is extremely well organized. He knows what he wants to play and how, and he supplies the musicians with his own detailed arrangements. This was evidenced by the consistency of the music. Although Jones had never played with the locals, the trio showed remarkable consistency over a variety of quirky beginnings, bridges and endings.

Jones and company will be at Elario’s nightly through Sunday.