1. On the Jazz pianist:
Henry "Hank" Jones (born July 31, 1918 - died May 16, 2010) was a jazz pianist born in Vicksburg, Mississippi who grew up in Pontiac, Michigan, where he studied piano at an early age and came under the influence of Earl Hines, Fats Waller, Teddy Wilson and Art Tatum. By the age of 13 Jones was performing locally in Michigan and Ohio. While playing with territory bands in Grand Rapids and Lansing he met Lucky Thompson, who invited him to New York City in 1944 to work at the Onyx Club with Hot Lips Page.
In New York, Jones regularly listened to leading bop musicians, and was inspired to master the new style. While practicing and studying the music he worked with John Kirby, Howard McGhee, Coleman Hawkins, Andy Kirk, and Billy Eckstine. In autumn 1947 he began touring in Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts, and from 1948 to 1953 he was accompanist for Ella Fitzgerald, developing a harmonic facility of extraordinary taste and sophistication. During this period he also made several historically important recordings with Charlie Parker for Norman Granz's labels.
After several years as a freelance player, which included engagements with Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman, and recordings with such artists as Lester Young, Milt Jackson, Cannonball Adderley, and Wes Montgomery, in 1959 Jones joined the staff of CBS where he stayed until the staff was disbanded 17 years later. With his rare combination of talents as a strong soloist, sensitive accompanist, and adept sight-reader, Jones has always been in great demand for recording sessions of all kinds, and may be heard on thousands of albums. By the late 1970s his involvement as pianist and conductor with the Broadway musical Ain't Misbehavin' (based on the music of Fats Waller) had informed a wider audience of his unique qualities as a musician.
During the late 1970s and the 1980s Jones continued to record prolifically, as an uncaccompanied soloist, in duos with other pianists (including John Lewis and Tommy Flanagan), and with various small ensembles, most notably the Great Jazz Trio. The group took this name in 1976, by which time Jones had already begun working at the Village Vanguard with its original members, Ron Carter and Tony Williams (it was Buster Williams rather than Carter, however, who took part in the trio's first recording session in 1976); by 1980 Jones' sidemen were Eddie Gomez and Al Foster, and in 1982 Jimmy Cobb replaced Foster. The trio has also recorded with other all-star personnel, such as Art Farmer, Benny Golson, and Nancy Wilson. In the early 1980s Jones held a residency as a solo pianist at the Cafe Ziegfeld and made a tour of Japan, where he performed and recorded with George Duvivier and Sonny Stitt.
Hank Jones resided in upstate New York. His most recent recordings are For My Father (2005) with bassist George Mraz and drummer Dennis Mackrel, a solo piano recording issued in Japan under the title Round Midnight (2006), and as a side man on Joe Lovano's Joyous Encounter (2005).
2. On the hardcore band:
Nick Warren, Chris Bencivenga, Shayne Moreland, and Mike Torti are hanging out and Torti's listening to Bane or Anchor or By the Grace of God or someone and says we should start a band like this with him singing. Everyone laughs at this but decide to do it anyway because they know Mike will work at it, and it's the only style of hardcore that Nick and Chris like. They write songs, practice, record a demo, start to play shows.
Around August they started throwing the idea around of recording a new record in the fall. They started writing a ton of new songs and finally hit the studio in October with Shawn Hammer at Midtown Recordings in Erie, PA. The final product was a 13 song, 22 minute demo CD that is a good representation of the band. In January the band signed with Undecided Records from Florida to release their record "Saturdays of Thunder" on May 3rd, 2005. Shortly after the release of their first CD a friend (Seth) joined the band on guitar alongside Nick.
At the same time Shayne decided he had done enough touring and needed to step back and take care of family stuff, so Chris moved from playing drums to playing bass guitar to fill that void and another friend (Jed) joined the band on drums. With one 2-hour practice under his belt the band left to play some shows and somehow managed to get through them! They toured again a few more times, Nick left the band, Chris moved to guitar and Ben Bowman joined to play bass. Ben basically was in the band for a few shows, went on the road a few times and was a big part in writing the 7 inch "Dear Boys, There's Beer and Pizza in the Fridge, Love Mom" released that summer on Surprise Attack Records.
After recording and playing a few more shows, Ben decided he was moving to California so he left the band and Micah was enlisted to play bass 2 days before tour! After a few shows he was good to go and played bass until fall of 2007 when he left the band and after a few back and forth joining/quitting done by Seth, he ended up coming back to play bass. At that time they enlisted the newest member Dan from Pittsburgh to play guitar with Chris.
And that is that.
Read more: http://www.myspace.com/hankjones
On Green Dolphin Street
Hank Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A man, a maid, a kiss, and then goodbye
Romance was the theme
And we were the players
I never think of this without a sigh
Lover, one lovely day
Love came, planning to stay
The setting for nights beyond forgetting
And through these moments apart memories live in my heart
When I recall the love I found on
I could kiss the ground on Green Dolphin Street
Lover, one lovely day
Love came, planning to stay
Green Dolphin Street supplied the setting
The setting for nights beyond forgetting
And through these moments apart memories live in my heart
When I recall the love I found on
On Green Dolphin Street
The lyrics to Hank Jones’s “On Green Dolphin Street” transport the listener to a nostalgic dream-like state. The opening lines of the song suggest a feeling of disbelief, “It seems like a dream, yet I know it happened.” The song is about reminiscing on a romantic relationship that has ended but left a lasting impression on the singer. The setting of this romance was on Green Dolphin Street, which provided the perfect setting for "nights beyond forgetting." The lyrics express a strong longing for the past and the memories of the love that was lost.
The repeated lines, “Lover, one lovely day, Love came, planning to stay,” suggest that the romance may have been unexpected or fleeting. The singer remembers the kiss and goodbye that concluded the relationship, “A man, a maid, a kiss, and then goodbye,” which underscores the idea that the memory is bittersweet. The song concludes with the singer suggesting that if they could, they would kiss the ground on Green Dolphin Street in honor of the love that once existed there. The overall tone of the lyrics is wistful and filled with nostalgia for a love that was once alive but now only exists in memories.
Line by Line Meaning
It seems like a dream, yet I know it happened
There are times I wonder if my memories are real, but I know they are true.
A man, a maid, a kiss, and then goodbye
Our love was a fleeting romance that ended as quickly as it began.
Romance was the theme
Our relationship was centered around love and passion.
And we were the players
We were the ones who experienced the emotions and feelings of this romantic drama.
I never think of this without a sigh
Whenever I reminisce about our love affair, it brings me a sense of melancholy nostalgia.
Lover, one lovely day
In a moment of passion and desire, we fell in love.
Love came, planning to stay
Our love was meant to last, we wanted it to be more than just a fling.
Green Dolphin Street supplied the setting
The place where we fell in love was the iconic Green Dolphin Street.
The setting for nights beyond forgetting
The emotions and experiences we shared on that street were unforgettable.
And through these moments apart memories live in my heart
Although we are no longer together, the memories we shared will always live in my heart.
When I recall the love I found on
I often think back to the love we shared on
I could kiss the ground on Green Dolphin Street
My love for that place and the memories it holds is so strong that I would even kiss the ground it stands on.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Tratore, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: BRONISLAW KAPER, NED WASHINGTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jackfeldman2281
Listeners need to hear several of Hank Jones' wonderful Great Jazz Trio recordings to appreciate this under-rated but masterful jazz pianist. His work with his brother, drummer Elvin Jones, who also passed away in recent years, was just remarkable in its brilliance. Hank Jones was a tasteful, gracious, polite gentleman and a jazz pianist without equal -- those who appreciate great jazz trio work miss him enormously.
@georgefirk5531
Seeing Hank Jones playing so well,I hope, I will at my 90th. Birthday Bash next year,of course On Green Dolphin St. is a must.
@jarbasg1
God bless the great Hank Jones!!!
@hommefriday
I love the song. Played by Hank Jones just takes it to another dimension.
@EndlessMagic
I love you Hank Jones. One of the best pianist ever.
@nono17891815
Un style de plus en plus moderne en vieillissant. Mais toujours au service de la musicalité. Magnifique.
@jessyeholmes3034
This is my favorite by Mr. Jones, I have listened to this cover since I was a teenager--
over and over on a 331/3.
@MahaAdel71
He is genius and his magical fingers playing history at music world.
@BuckshotLaFunke1
A quiet master since the 50s. Always fresh ideas, impossible to pin down. Plus a fine teacher and organizer. One of the finest (THE finest?) of all pianist since Bud Powell.
@og6430
+BuckshotLaFunke1 According to Barry Harris, people playing the piano after Bud Powell did can't be considered pianists ;)