About Hank Jones
Henry Jones Jr. was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians have described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts honored him with the NEA Jazz Masters Award. He was also honored in 2003 with the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) Jazz Living Legend Award. In 2008, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts. On April 13, 2009, the University of Hartford presented Jones with an honorary Doctorate of Music for his musical accomplishments. Jones recorded more than 60 albums under his own name and is estimated to have "appeared on over a thousand recordings" as a sideman, including Cannonball Adderley's celebrated album Somethin' Else with Miles Davis. Hawkins made the first recording of Jones' composition "Angel Face" (1947; not to be confused with the later Joe Zawinul piece of the same title), which has gone on to be covered a number of times. Although Jones played only a little on the classic original recording, he later recorded the piece both with Milt Jackson (1956) and as a leader in a trio setting (1978).
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.