John Hicks (jazz pianist)

John Hicks
John Hicks
	300x200px John Hicks in 2006
Background information
Birth name	John Josephus Hicks, Jr.
Born	December 21, 1941; Atlanta, Georgia, US
Died	Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.; New York City, New York, US
Genres	Hard bop, bebop, free jazz, modal jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer
Instruments	Piano
Years active	Mid-1960s–2006

John Josephus Hicks, Jr. (December 21, 1941 – May 10, 2006^[1]) was an American jazz pianist and composer, active in the New York and international jazz scenes from the mid-1960s.

Early life

Hicks was born in Atlanta, Georgia. As a child, he moved with his family around the United States, as his father took up jobs with the Methodist church.^[2] He began playing the piano aged seven; his development accelerated once his family moved to St. Louis, when Hicks was 14.^[2] He studied music at Lincoln University in Missouri and Berklee School of Music in Boston before moving to New York in 1963, where he soon found employment with blues singer Big Maybelle.^[2]

Later life and career

Hicks was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (1964–1965) and occasionally in the 1970s, worked with Betty Carter (1966–1968, 1975–1980), and was in one of Woody Herman's groups (1968–1970). From 1972 to 1973 he taught jazz history and improvisation at Southern Illinois University.^[3] From the early 1980s until his death he performed solo and led his own groups, including the Keystone Trio, with Idris Muhammad and George Mraz.

Hicks played and recorded with jazz artists such as Lee Morgan, David Murray, Joe Lovano, David "Fathead" Newman, Pharoah Sanders, George Mraz, Arthur Blythe, Kenny Barron, and Gary Bartz among others. The pianist recorded the seventh instalment of the "Live at Maybeck Recital Hall" series of solo concerts, which were recorded for Concord Records.

From 1983, the flautist Elise Wood was regularly a member of his groups. The couple married in 2001. Wood survived him, and has led groups dedicated to his music.^[4]

Discography

An asterisk (*) after the year indicates that it is the year of release.

As leader/co-leader

Year recorded	Title	Label	Notes
1975	Hells Bells	Strata-East	Trio, with Clint Houston (bass), Cliff Barbaro (drums); released 1980
1975	Steadfast	Strata-East	Released 1980
1979	After the Morning	West 54
1981	Some Other Time	Theresa
1982	John Hicks	Theresa	Some tracks solo piano; some tracks trio, with Bobby Hutcherson (vibes), Walter Booker (bass); one track duo, with Olympia Hicks (piano); reissue by Evidence added one track trio, with Olympia Hicks, Idris Muhammad (drums)
1984	In Concert	Theresa	Most tracks trio, with Walter Booker (bass), Idris Muhammad (drums); some tracks quartet, with Elise Wood (flute) or Bobby Hutcherson (vibes) added; in concert
1985	Inc. 1	DIW
1985	Sketches of Tokyo	DIW	With David Murray
1985	Luminous	Nilva	With Elise Wood
1986–87	Two of a Kind	Theresa	Duo, with Ray Drummond (bass)
1987	I'll Give You Something To Remember Me By	Limetree
1988	Naima's Love Song	DIW	With Bobby Watson
1988	East Side Blues	DIW
1990	Power Trio	Novus	With Cecil McBee (bass), Elvin Jones (drums)
1990	Is That So?	Timeless
1990	Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Vol. 7	Concord Jazz	Solo piano; in concert
1992	After the Morning	DSM	Solo piano; in concert
1993	Beyond Expectations	Reservoir	Trio, with Ray Drummond (bass), Marvin "Smitty" Smith (drums)
1994	Single Petal of a Rose	Mapleshade	With Jack Walrath (trumpet), Elise Wood (flute), Curtis Lundy (bass)
1994	Duality		With Peter Leitch
1995	In the Mix
1995	Heart Beats	Milestone	As Keystone Trio; with George Mraz (bass), Idris Muhammad (drums)^[5]
1996	Piece for My Peace	Landmark	Some tracks solo piano; one track trio, with Curtis Lundy (bass), Cecil Brooks III (drums); one track quintet, with Bobby Watson and Vincent Herring (alto sax) added; most tracks sextet, with Elise Wood (flute) added; one track duo, with Wood (flute)
1997	Newklear Music: The Songs of Sonny Rollins	Milestone	As Keystone Trio; with George Mraz (bass), Idris Muhammad (drums)^[6]
1997	Something to Live For: A Billy Strayhorn Songbook	HighNote	Trio, with Dwayne Dolphin (bass), Cecil Brooks III (drums)
1997	Nightwind: An Erroll Garner Songbook	HighNote	Trio, with Dwayne Dolphin (bass), Cecil Brooks III (drums)
1997	Cry Me a River	Venus	Trio, with Dwayne Burno (bass), Victor Lewis (drums)
1997	Trio + Strings	Mapleshade	With Elise Wood (alto flute), Steve Novosel (bass), Ronnie Burrage (drums), Steve Williams (drums), Rick Schmidt (cello), Debbie Baker (viola), Charles Olive and Tom Ginsberg (violin)
1998	Impressions of Mary Lou	HighNote	Trio, with Dwayne Dolphin (bass), Cecil Brooks III (drums)
2000	Hicks Time: Solo Piano	Passin' Thru	Solo piano
2000	Beautiful Friendship	HiWood	Duo with Elise Wood (flute)
2001	Music in the Key of Clark	HighNote	Trio, with Dwayne Dolphin (bass), Cecil Brooks III (drums)
2003	Fatha's Day: An Earl Hines Songbook	HighNote	Trio, with Dwayne Dolphin (bass), Cecil Brooks III (drums)
2005	I Remember You	HighNote	Solo piano; in concert
2005	Twogether	HighNote	Duo with Frank Morgan (alto saxophone)
2006	On the Wings of an Eagle	Chesky	Trio, with Buster Williams (bass), Louis Hayes (drums)
2006	Sweet Love of Mine	HighNote	Some tracks quartet, with Javon Jackson (tenor sax), Curtis Lundy (bass), Victor Jones (drums); some tracks quintet, with Elise Wood (flute) added; some tracks sextet, with Ray Mantilla (percussion) added