Loving Hank

...a group that plays with an interactive verve and elegance...a knockout listening experience.
All About Jazz

Meant as an homage to the great Hank Jones, the title of Bay Area pianist Debbie Poryes' latest trio recording also offers a metaphor for the significance the jazz masters, the music and the players have in her life. With longtime bandmates Peter Barshay on bass and drummer David Rokeach, those feelings shine through as the trio brings warmth, intelligence and swing to a collection of six originals, along with creative modern arrangements of standards including "Wonderful Day" and "How About You," and a special look at Joni Mitchell's classic, "Both Sides Now."

"...(her) arranging involves sophistication with warmth and open-ended possibilities. As a result, American songbook gems...sound fresh and invigorating..." - All About Jazz

Production Info:

Produced by Debbie Poryes
Recorded & Mixed by Adam Muñoz
Recorded at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, Ca
Recording on April 4-5, 2017
Mastered by Ken Lee at Ken Lee Mastering
Photography by Reenie Raschke
Cover Design & Layout John Bishop

Reviews of Loving Hank

Midwest Record (Chris Spector)
Since there's nothing here written by Hank Jones, and a bunch of the songs here aren't associated with Jones, this is Poryes doing her tribute to his sound and vibe. Showing the love, this is a fine reminder of the cat that was so good but seemed to spend much of his career making others look good. A winning set that is a sure bet for sitting dow ...

Jazz Weekly (George W. Harris)
It must be assumed that pianist Debbie Poryes has named her trio album as an homage to Hank Jones, as her compositions, as well as her interprations, display a similar gentility and regality as the famed bop icon. With Peter Barshay/b and David Rokeach/dr she produces a wistful "Both Sides Now" while creating sublime colors on "Autumn in New York. ...

The Berkeleyside (Andrew Gilbert)
A longtime faculty member at the California Jazz Conservatory who also teaches privately, Poryes has released a number of albums focusing on her beautifully crafted original compositions. On the radiant "Loving Hank" she alternates between thoughtful arrangements of pop songs (Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now"), bebop anthems (Charlie Parker's "Conf ...

Cadence (Robert Rusch)
DEBBIE PORYES presents LOVING HANK [OA2 22146] a trio [Peter Barshay-b, David Rokeach-drm] recording from 4/4&5/17 of 6 originals and 6 standards [62:02]. Poryes plays with a light touch and pretty much stays in major key. Her ode to Hank Jones, the title track, is perhaps reflective in thought but not in style. Erik Jekabson is on the title track ...

WTJU - Richmond (Dave Rogers)
Pianist / composer / teacher Debbie Poryes offers her fourth release dedicated to jazz pianist Hank Jones. In fact, "Loving Hank" is one of six original compositions by Porves and it opens the disc. The remaining compositions include Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now", Charlie Parker's "Confirmation" and Cole Porter's "All Of You". All but one song i ...

Audiophile Audition (Pierre Giroux)
The relationship between pianists Debbie Poryes and Hank Jones would appear to be somewhat tenuous. But that did not stop the San Francisco based pianist from offering a tribute to the late, great, lyrical and impeccable master of the keyboard, under the album title Loving Hank. Apart from a period in the 1980s, when Poryes made The Netherlands ...

Downbeat (Scott Yanow)
**** Debbie Poryes, long based in the San Franciso area, is a talented modern mainstream pianist. On her recent trio album, an homage to Hank Jones (1918-2010), she sometimes sounds a bit like McCoy Tyner and displays the influence of Bill Evans in some of her chord voicings and her close interplay with bassist Peter Barshay. However, she mostly ...

Cadence (Don Lerman)
Pianist Debbie Poryes and her trio present a well-played acoustic set on "Loving Hank", her fourth album as a leader. Poryes is a California native who spent some years performing and teaching jazz piano in Europe before returning to the west coast to resume her performing and teaching activities. Her composition "Our Star" is one of six originals ...