The Great Jazz Trio - 'S Wonderful (2004)

Since launching the Great Jazz Trio in the 1970s, Hank Jones has been accompanied by many different rhythm sections, though this one, with bassist John Patitucci and drummer Jack DeJohnette, ranks alongside any of them. In spite of a life-threatening diagnosis that resulted in emergency surgery a couple of years earlier, the pianist, 85 at the time of the sessions, is very much at the top of his game. The diverse program delves into standards from the swing era (an explosive "'S Wonderful" and a jaunty take of "Sweet Lorraine"), a subtle arrangement of the gospel-inflected "Moanin'," along with the surprising choice of "Take Five" in a blues-drenched setting. Patitucci's warm arco bass introduces the haunting take of the centuries-old "Green Sleeves," backed by Jones' spacious piano and DeJohnette's delicate percussion, while the leader's inventive improvisation that follows proves that there is plenty of room for exploration of this still popular song.