TRACK: “I’ll Remember April”
ALBUM TITLE: Hank Jones/Red Mitchell Duo
LABEL: Timeless Records
PERSONNEL: Hank Jones, piano; Red Mitchell, bass
RECORDED: December 1987
REVIEW FROM: Jazz Bass Artists of the 1950s by Dave Hunt
This well known and much performed Don Raye-Gene DePaul standard is structured in an unusual form: 48 bars set up as A-B-C-D-A-B (8-8-8-8-8-8). Composed with a melodicism that overrides structural considerations quite naturally, “I’ll Remember April” becomes a lot less intimidating than when approached on its technical considerations alone. A syncopated unison pervades the 4-bar intro that is shared compatibly by both players. The six 8-bar sections of the melodic statement are divided between two stylistic preferences so that the beginning and ending A-B sections (16 bars) are performed in an interactive conversational style while the middle two sections (C-D—also combined 16 bars) are characterized by straighter time. Note that the conversational style is designated for both A-B sections and musically bookends the dissimilar C-D section.
“April” also features 3 solo formats that prove effective by contrast.
First, Jones and Mitchell allot themselves improvisational choruses (Jones, 3; Mitchell, 2).From a harmonic standpoint, Jones’ 3 choruses contain textbook right-hand single-line ideas that are expertly tailored and effortlessly executed. In the first 8 bars of Jones’ initial chorus, Mitchell brings off brow-raising harmonics before switching to straight time, though with judicious broken-time patterns as decorative enhancements.
In Mitchell’s 2 choruses, his sustained notes effectively pace varied-length statements and contrast wonderfully with sudden phrase flurries. He breathes instinctively, giving him, as well as the listener, an instant to anticipate upcoming note selection. The bassist’s forays into the upper register demonstrate a supremacy in that part of the instrument of which he was assured in the jazz bass world for as long as he had the physical capability to play at such a self-satisfying level.
Next, Jones renders an incredible solo chorus. Mitchell answers with an all-out emphasis on a more strictly flowing tempo behind him.
Finally, Jones and Mitchell split up two choruses in varying exchange lengths, the first in irregular (but logical) patterns and the second in expected 8-bar units. In the first chorus, the irregular exchange pattern features Jones for 8 bars; Mitchell for 16 bars, then Jones again for 24 bars.The second chorus is set up in an equal exchange pattern of 8-bar sections:
A Mitchell
B Jones
C Mitchell
D Jones
A Mitchell
B Jones
The ending melodic statement follows the same stylistic breakdown as the beginning melodic statement:
A-B Conversational style
C-D Straight-ahead contrast
A-B Conversational style
The selection closes on a sustained vamp, colored tonally by Mitchell’s tastefully placed harmonics. Jones and Mitchell are both consummate artists, and musicians and sensitive listeners alike will repeatedly marvel at such a performance.