release date:21.08.2026 on Capri Records
On his new live album, jazz piano virtuoso Mike Jones embraces hard-driving chamber jazz with a swinging drummerless trio, Mike Jones With Strings, featuring a deep dive into the Great American Songbook with guitarist Graham Dechter and bassist Alex Frank.
The ability to swing has long been at the heart of jazz. For his new live album, virtuoso jazz pianist Mike Jones assembles a drummerless trio that quickly proves to be one of the most swinging bands on the scene. Mike Jones With Strings (out August 21, 2026 via Capri Records) was recorded live at Vic’s Supper Club in Las Vegas and features Jones, guitar prodigy Graham Dechter, and versatile bassist Alex Frank on a hard-driving, profoundly swinging journey through the Great American Songbook.
The great Nat King Cole pioneered the drummerless trio with guitarist Oscar Moore and bassist Wesley Prince in the 1930s, and it’s since become the chamber music of jazz. Oscar Peterson famously revived this format in the early 1950s with Ray Brown on bass and rotating guitarists Herb Ellis and Barney Kessel. The guitar and bass take on the task of timekeeping and establishing the groove, allowing more conversational interplay between musicians as well as an intimate aesthetic.
photo by Jennifer Szabo
Jones, whose priority has always been to create exceptionally swinging recordings, had the idea of this album with Dechter and Frank on his mind for a while. Because both artists are busy and active on the LA jazz scene and tour regularly with Jeff Goldblum, getting the ensemble together was not an easy task. Thanks to help from Vic’s Supper Club, the trio was able to record before an enthusiastic audience.
The group’s prodigious chops are evident right from the opening track, a supremely swinging version of George Gershwin’s “Lady Be Good” followed by the more mellow but no less compelling “Gone With the Wind.” The perennial favorite “Autumn Leaves” begins with Dechter’s deeply felt delivery of the familiar, yearning melody that becomes an ever more complex and satisfying improvisation. Jones follows up with his own multi-faceted interpretation, taking the melody to new heights with Frank’s rock-solid bass as a strong foundation.
On Oscar Peterson’s “Kelly’s Blues,” the trio’s swinging might is on full display, driving the music home with impeccable rhythm and brilliantly bluesy solos. The bouncy “Destination Moon” and snappy “Deed I Do” have never sounded so good. The trio goes into ballad mode with a gorgeous rendition of the sultry, smoky “The Very Thought of You” and closes the set with a burning hot performance of “Exactly Like You.”
Mike Jones With Strings marks the convening of three great musicians in a trio with remarkable fluidity, precision, spirit, and most importantly, swing. Joy shines through in every note as they deliver unforgettable performances of beloved jazz standards delivering a masterpiece from start to finish.
