Hampton Hawes was one of the finest jazz pianists of the 1950s, a fixture on the Los Angeles scene who brought his own interpretations to the dominant Bud Powell style. In the mid- to late '40s, he played with Sonny Criss, Dexter Gordon, and Wardell Gray, among others on Central Avenue. He was with Howard McGhee's band (1950-1951), played with Shorty Rogers and the Lighthouse All-Stars, served in the Army (1952-1954), and then led trios in the L.A. area, recording many albums for Contemporary. Arrested for heroin possession in 1958, Hawes spent five years in prison until he was pardoned by President Kennedy. He led trios for the remainder of his life, using electric piano (which disturbed his longtime fans) for a period in the early to mid-'70s, but returned to acoustic piano before dying from a stroke in 1977.
M**I
Mostly live and mostly trio - excellent sound quality and music
All of the tracks on Disc One are live and in trio format. Most of the tracks on Disc Two are studio recordings, and are divided into trio and quartet ensembles.What makes this album special is the excellent sound quality that Fresh Sounds Records is becoming known for. Although some of these tracks were recorded under relatively crude conditions (live using early 1950s technology), the sound is better than I expected. Of course the music plays a big part in enjoying this album and the music and musicians who are featured backing Hawes are as great as Hawes himself.Here is the background information on the performances and sessions contained in this compilation:========DISC ONE========The first six tracks are from an out-of-print album recorded for Xanadu titled The East/West Controversy. This album featured Hawes on Side A and Paul Chambers on Side B. Hawe's tracks were recorded live at the The Haig Club in Los Angeles on September 22, 1951 with Hawes backed by Harper Crosby on bass and Lawrence Marable on drums.Tracks 7 through 9 were recorded for an album titled The Hampton Hawes Memorial Album for the Xanadu label at The Surf Club in Los Angeles on February 12, 1952. Hawes is backed by Joe Mondragon on bass and Larry Bunker on drums.Tracks 10 through 14 were recorded for Xanadu live at the The Haig Club in Los Angeles on September 9, 1952. These tracks feature Hawes backed by Joe Mondragon on bass and Shelly Manne on drums, and were also released on the album titled The Hampton Hawes Memorial Album. Interestingly, the trio went on to back Wardell Gray's ensemble for another live album that night at the same venue (Wardell Gray - Live In Hollywood). Unfortunately those tracks are not included here.The remaining tracks on this disc were also recorded for the Hampton Hawes Memorial Album live at the The Haig Club. The date for this performance was December 23, 1952 with Hawes backed by Joe Mondragon on bass and Shelly Manne on drums.========DISC TWO========Track 1 was recorded for the Discovery label in Los Angeles on December 7, 1952 with Hawes backed by Harry Babasin on bass and Larry Bunker on drums.Track 2 is credited by Fresh Sounds as being recorded in the Spring of 1952 with the same personnel as Track 1. I disagree (although I may be wrong). I am fairly sure this track was recorded at live at the Surf Club in Los Angeles February 12, 1952 with Hawes backed by Joe Mondragon on bass and Shelly Manne on drums. If you know differently please let me know.Tracks 3 through 6 were recorded for Discovery live at the The Haig Club in Los Angeles on September 9, 1952. These tracks feature Hawes backed by Joe Mondragon on bass and Shelly Manne on drums. This is the third group of tracks from that venue on the same date, although this recording was for a different label. These tracks were included in an out-of-print album released by Discovery titled Hampton Hawes Trio.Tracks 7 through 14 were recorded for Prestige in Los Angeles during an unspecified date in December 1952. This is a quartet format with Hawes backed by Larry Bunker on vibraphone, Clarence Jones on bass and Lawrence Marable on drums. The album is now out-of-print, but was released as Prestige PRLP 212, Hampton Hawes Quartet.Track 15 is the sole track from an album recorded by the Bud Shank-Bill Perkins Quintet for the Pacific Jazz label. This track features the trio (Hawes backed by Red Mitchell on bass and Mel Lewis on drums), and was recorded in Los Angeles on May 2, 1955.The remaining tracks were recorded live at the Embers Club in Los Angeles on May 15, 1956. Hawes is backed by Red Mitchell on bass and Chuck Thompson on drums.I love this album, but also have this one in the same playlist: All Night Session! 1-3 with Jim Hall . This is the perfect segue into that one and I recommend both if you are a Hampton Hawes fan.
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