Hank Jones, the eldest and sole surviving brother of the three Jones boys of Pontiac who became legendary figures in jazz, died Sunday in a New York hospital at age 91 after a short illness.
Jones – who worked with everyone from Benny Goodman to Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and contemporary figures like Joe Lovano – was revered for his aristocratic touch, encyclopedic stylistic breadth and note-perfect clarity.
Despite his age, his energy and ambition were high, and his recent performances were only slightly less supple than his earlier work.
An elegant, religious man of dignified carriage who often greeted visitors at his home in a coat and tie, Jones continued to practice two hours a day into his 90s.
Jones’ death brings to a close a brilliant familial chapter of jazz history — trumpeter, composer and bandleader Thad Jones died in 1986 and Elvin Jones, a groundbreaking drummer, died in 2004.
Jones was honored as a National Endowment for the Arts jazz master in 1989 and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. He is survived by his wife, Theodisia.