Rare And Obscure Argo Recordings (XIII)

Hank Jones

Here's Love

"Here's love", a musical version of the great film "Miracle on 34th Street" says "down with Scrooge and up with Tiny Tim" and in general, you don't have to be a screwball to believe in love or...Santa Claus.

The Hank Jones Quartet interpretation will become the definitive jazz presentation of Meredith Wilson's great score to "Miracle on 34th Street." Hank Jones has captured in the jazz idiom the flavor of Wilson's musical menu for Here's Love."

The artistry of Milt Hilton on bass, Elvin Jones on drums, and Kenny Burrell on guitar, welded cohesively by the remarkable ingenuity of Hank Jones, makes for many minutes of easy listening.

For good music aficionados, this will be Christmas all year round with the musicality of the Hank Jones Quartet a perennial gift from St. Nicholas himself.

I have said a lot of things about this album, but there's one thing you may have noticed we did not say and that would be to refer to this album as...square. So here's color, here's rhythm, here's enjoyment... HERE'S LOVE! *(From liner notes)*

Highlight is the interplay between Hank Jones and Kenny Burrell;

excellent music and arranging (5 stars):

I've owned this album for quite some time and decided to pull it out and listen with fresh ears. While this is not exactly a 'must-have' album, the musicianship is uniformly excellent and the arranging is masterful. Every track is based on a musical titled Here's Love, all of which were originally composed by Meredith Willson. There is where the arrangements shine because orchestral pieces have been distilled down into jazz quartet format and they sound rich and full.

The sound samples on this page will provide enough information to get a good sense of the music. The center of the music is Hank Jones' piano and Kenny Burrell's guitar. Both take turns with melody and harmony, and create some real studio magic (hence, the five stars.) Milt Hinton on bass and Hank's brother Elvin on drums are the perfect rhythm section. If you are a bassist focus on Hinton. He makes it sound simple and easy, but he is doing some incredible things that make the piano and guitar stand out. Elvin is masterful, especially on brushes, but he does have a few moments when he seems to over play. It does not detract from the music, and after a few listens I cannot imagine a more perfect drummer for this album.

This was recorded for the Argo label at Rudy van Gelder's Englewood Cliffs, NJ studio in a single session on October 19, 1963. While musicians will find this album to be rich in ideas, especially the interplay between piano and guitar, anyone who loves jazz quartets will probably love this album. *Mike Tarrani (amazon reviewer)*

1 - Here's Love

2 - My Wish

3 - You Don't Know

4 - Dear Mister Santa Claus

5 - That Man Over There

6 - Arm In Arm

7 - The Big Clown Balloons

8 - Love, Come Take Me Again

9 - Pine Cones And Holly Berries

10 - My State, My Kansas, My Home

(All compositions by Meredith Wilson)

Hank Jones (piano), Kenny Burrell (guitar), Milt Hinton (bass), Elvin Jones (drums).

Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, October 19, 1963.