| Hampton Hawes |
|
| Background information |
| Birth name |
Hampton Barnett Hawes, Jr. |
| Born |
November 13, 1928(1928-11-13) |
| Origin |
 Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Died |
May 22, 1977 (aged 48) |
| Genres |
Soul-jazz
Hard bop
Bebop
Jazz-funk
Mainstream jazz
Jazz fusion |
| Occupations |
Pianist |
| Instruments |
Piano |
| Labels |
Discovery, Contemporary Records, Fantasy Records |
| Associated acts |
Wardell Gray, Charles Mingus, Dexter Gordon, Art Pepper, Jim Hall (musician), Barney Kessell, Shorty Rogers |
Hampton Hawes (November 13, 1928[1] – May 22, 1977) was an African American bebop and hard-bop jazz pianist, recognized as one of the finest and most influential of the 1950s.[2]
Biography
Hampton Barnett Hawes, Jr. was born November 13, 1928 in Los Angeles, California.[1] His father, Hampton Hawes, Sr., was minister of Westminster Presbysterian Church in Los Angeles, and the first African-American to be voted into the National Presbyterian Senate. His mother, the former Gertrude Holman, was the church pianist.
Hawes' first experience at the piano was as a toddler sitting on his mother's lap while she practiced. He was reportedly able to pick out fairly complex tunes by the age of two. Entirely self-taught, by his teens Hawes was playing with the leading jazz musicians on the West Coast, including Dexter Gordon, Wardell Gray, Art Pepper, Shorty Rogers, Teddy Edwards, and Sonny Criss. His second professional job, at 19, was playing for eight months with the Howard McGhee Quintet at the Hi De Ho Club, in a group that included Charlie Parker.
After serving in the U.S. army in Japan from 1952-1954, Hawes formed his own trio, with the bassist Red Mitchell and drummer Chuck Thompson. The three-record Trio sessions made by this group in 1955 on Contemporary Records were considered some of the finest records to come out of the West Coast at the time. The next year, Hawes added guitarist Jim Hall for the All Night Sessions - three records made during a non-stop recording session at the Contemporary Studios in Los Angeles.
After a six-month national tour in 1956, Hawes won the 'New Star of the Year' award in Down Beat magazine, and 'Arrival of the Year' in Metronome" magazine. The following year, Hawes would record in New York with Charles Mingus on the album "MIngus Three" (Roulette, 1957.)
Struggling for many years with a heroin addiction, Hawes was arrested the following year on his 30th birthday, after being convinced by a federal undercover agent to sell him a small amount of heroin. Despite pleading guilty, Hawes was sentenced to 10 years - twice the mandatory minimum - in a federal prison hospital. In the months between his arrest and sentencing, Hawes recorded an album of spirituals and gospel songs, The Sermon, for Contemporary Records. After three years in Fort Worth Federal Medical Facility, in 1961 Hawes was watching President Kennedy's inaugural speech on television when he became convinced that Kennedy would pardon him. In an almost miraculous turn, Kennedy granted Hawes executive clemency in 1963, the 42nd of only 43 such pardons given in the final year of Kennedy's presidency.
After his release, Hawes resumed playing and recording. During a world tour in 1967-68, he was surprised to discover that he had become a legend among jazz listeners in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. During a ten-month period overseas Hawes recorded nine albums, including two with the virtuoso French pianist Martial Solal. He played sold out shows and concert halls in over ten countries, was covered widely in the press, and appeared on European television. In the 1970s, Hawes experimented with electronic music (Fender-Rhodes made a special instrument for him), although eventually he returned to playing the acoustic piano.
Raise Up Off Me, Hawes' autobiography (written with Don Asher) was published in 1974, and shed light on his heroin addiction, the bebop movement, and his friendships with some of the leading jazz musicians of his time. The book won the prestigious ASCAP Deems-Taylor Award for music writing in 1975. The Penguin Guide to Jazz calls Raise Up Off Me, "one of the most moving memoirs ever written by a musician;" critic Gary Giddins, who wrote the book's introduction) calls it "a major contribution to the literature of jazz." A 128-page Hampton Hawes biography/discography was published in England in 1987, co-authored by Roger Hunter and Mike Davis.
As a pianist Hawes's style is instantly recognizable - for its almost unparalleled swing, unique approach to harmony, and depth of emotional expression, particularly in a blues context. Hawes influenced a great number of other pianists including André Previn, Oscar Peterson, Horace Silver, Claude Williamson, Pete Jolly, Toshiko Akiyoshi and others. Hawes' own influences came from a number of sources, including the spirituals he heard in his father's church as a child, and the boogie-woogie piano of Earl Hines. He also learned much from pianists Bud Powell and Nat King Cole among others; his principal source of influence though, was his friend Charlie Parker.
Hampton Hawes died suddenly of a brain hemorrhage in 1977, at only 48 years old. In 2004, the City Council of Los Angeles passed a resolution declaring November 13th 'Hampton Hawes Day' throughout the City of Los Angeles.
Discography
As leader
- Hampton Hawes Early Years Trio and Quartet Sessions 1951-56 (Fresh Sounds Records CD 369)
- The Hampton Hawes Memorial Album (Xanadu 161) 1952–1956
- Hampton Hawes Trio, Vol. 1 - The Trio (Contemporary C 3505; Fantasy OJC 316, OJCCD 316-2) 1955
- This Is Hampton Hawes, Vol. 2 - The Trio (Contemporary C 3515; Fantasy OJC 318, OJCCD 318-2)
- Everybody Likes Hampton Hawes, Vol. 3 - The Trio (Contemporary C 3523; Fantasy OJC 421, OJCCD 421-2)
- All Night Session!, Vol. 1-3 (1956)
- Four! (Contemporary C 3553, S 7553; Stereo S 7026; Fantasy OJC 165, OJCCD 165-2) 1957
- "The Sermon" (Contemporary) 1958
- "For Real!" (Contemporary M 3589, S 7589; Fantasy OJCCD 713-2), 1958
- The Green Leaves of Summer (Contemporary C 3614, S 7614; Fantasy OJC 476, OJCCD 476-2) 1964
- The Seance (Contemporary C 3621, S 7621; Fantasy OJC 455, OJCCD 455-2) 1966
- Blues for Bud (Black Lion (J) TKCB 30073)
- Playin' in the Yard (Prestige P 10077) 1973
- Hampton Hawes at the Piano (Contemporary S 7637) 1976 (released 1978)
- Curtis Fuller and Hampton Hawes with French Horns (Status ST 8305; Fantasy OJCCD 1942-2) 1957
- Hampton Hawes, Martial Solal - Key for Two (BYG (F) 529 125) 1968
- Northern Windows (1974, Prestige)
- At the Piano (1976, Contemporary)
- Killing Me Softly (1976, Contemporary)
- As Long As There's Music (1977, Artists House, with Charlie Haden)
- Freedom Records
- A Little Copenhagen Night Music
- Live at the Montemarte
- This Guy's in Love with You
As sideman
References
External links
