jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...
pianist and composer. Over a 70-year career, he has worked as a pianist, organist, arranger,
music director
A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the ...
, electronic musician, and composer. He was named a
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federa ...
Jazz Masters fellow in 2017. His grandson is designer and artist
Adam Charlap Hyman
Adam Charlap Hyman (born 1989) is an American designer and artist. He is the co-founder and partner of Charlap Hyman & Herrero, an architecture and design firm based out of New York City and Los Angeles. His grandfather is pianist and composer D ...
.
As a pianist, Hyman has been praised for his versatility. ''
DownBeat
' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...
'' magazine characterized him as "a pianist of longstanding grace and bountiful talent, with an ability to adapt to nearly any historical style, from stride to bop to modernist sound-painting."
Early life
Hyman was born in New York City on March 8, 1927 to Joseph C. Hyman and Lee Roven, and grew up in suburban
Mount Vernon, New York
Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the borough of the Bronx. As of the 2020 census, Mount Vernon had a population of 73,893, making it th ...
. His older brother, Arthur, owned a jazz record collection and introduced him to the music of
Bix Beiderbecke
Leon Bismark "Bix" Beiderbecke (March 10, 1903 – August 6, 1931) was an American jazz cornetist, pianist and composer.
Beiderbecke was one of the most influential jazz soloists of the 1920s, a cornet player noted for an inventive lyrical a ...
and
Art Tatum
Arthur Tatum Jr. (, October 13, 1909 – November 5, 1956) was an American jazz pianist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest in his field. From early in his career, Tatum's technical ability was regarded by fellow musicians as extraord ...
.
Hyman was trained classically by his mother's brother, the concert pianist Anton Rovinsky, who premiered ''The Celestial Railroad'' by Charles Ives in 1928. Hyman said of Rovinsky: "He was my most important teacher. I learned touch from him and a certain amount of repertoire, especially
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
. On my own I pursued Chopin. I loved his ability to take a melody and embellish it in different arbitrary ways, which is exactly what we do in jazz. Chopin would have been a terrific jazz pianist! His waltzes are in my improvising to this day."
Hyman enlisted in the U.S. Army in June 1945, and was transferred to the U.S. Navy band department. “Once I got into the band department, I was working with much more experienced musicians than I was used to," Hyman once stated. "I’d played in a couple of kid bands in New York, playing dances, but the Navy meant business — I had to show up, read music, and be with a bunch of better players than I had run into." After leaving the Navy he attended
Columbia College Columbia College may refer to one of several institutions of higher education in North America:
Canada
* Columbia College (Alberta), in Calgary
* Columbia College (British Columbia), a two-year liberal arts institution in Vancouver
* Columbia In ...
. While there, Hyman won a piano competition, for which the prize was 12 free lessons with swing-era pianist Teddy Wilson Hyman has said that he "fell in love with jazz" during this period.
Career
Relax Records released Hyman's solo piano versions of "
All the Things You Are
"All the Things You Are" is a song composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics written by Oscar Hammerstein II.
The song was written for the musical '' Very Warm for May'' (1939)You Couldn't Be Cuter" around 1950. He recorded two honky-tonk piano albums under the pseudonym "Knuckles O'Toole" (including two original compositions), and recorded more as "Willie the Rock Knox" and "Slugger Ryan".
As a studio musician in the 1950s and early 1960s, Hyman performed with
Tony Bennett
Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his bir ...
,
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signi ...
Joni James
Giovanna Carmella Babbo (September 22, 1930 – February 20, 2022), known professionally as Joni James, was an American singer of traditional pop music.
Biography
Giovanna Carmella Babbo was born to an Italian-American family in Chicago, Illin ...
Ivory Joe Hunter
Ivory Joe Hunter (October 10, 1914 – November 8, 1974) was an American rhythm-and-blues singer, songwriter, and pianist. After a series of hits on the US R&B chart starting in the mid-1940s, he became more widely known for his hit recordin ...
Ruth Brown
Ruth Alston Brown (; January 12, 1928 – November 17, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and actress, sometimes referred to as the " Queen of R&B". She was noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for At ...
The Four Freshmen
The Four Freshmen is an American male vocal quartet that blends open-harmonic jazz arrangements with the big band vocal group sounds of The Modernaires, The Pied Pipers, and The Mel-Tones, founded in the barbershop tradition. The singers acc ...
, The Four Sophomores,
Mitch Miller
Mitchell William Miller (July 4, 1911 – July 31, 2010) was an American choral conductor, record producer, record-industry executive, and professional oboist. He was involved in almost all aspects of the industry, particularly as a conductor a ...
, and many more. He played with
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...
for Parker's only film appearance. His extensive television studio work in New York in the 1950s and early 1960s included a stint as music director for
Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Morton Godfrey (August 31, 1903 – March 16, 1983) was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname The Old Redhead. At the peak of his success, in the early-to-mid 1950s, Godf ...
's television show from 1959 to 1961.
Hyman has worked as composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist for the Woody Allen films ''
Zelig
''Zelig'' is a 1983 American mockumentary film written, directed by and starring Woody Allen as Leonard Zelig, a nondescript enigma, who, apparently out of his desire to fit in and be liked, unwittingly takes on the characteristics of strong per ...
Hannah and Her Sisters
''Hannah and Her Sisters'' is a 1986 American comedy-drama film which tells the intertwined stories of an extended family over two years that begins and ends with a family Thanksgiving dinner. The film was written and directed by Woody Allen, ...
Everyone Says I Love You
''Everyone Says I Love You'' is a 1996 American musical film written and directed by Woody Allen. It stars Allen, Alan Alda, Drew Barrymore, Goldie Hawn, Edward Norton, Julia Roberts, Tim Roth, Natasha Lyonne and Natalie Portman. Set in New Yor ...
'', ''
Sweet and Lowdown
''Sweet and Lowdown'' is a 1999 American comedy-drama mockumentary film written and directed by Woody Allen. Loosely based on Federico Fellini's film '' La Strada'', the film tells the fictional story, set in the 1930s, of self-confident jazz gu ...
French Quarter
The French Quarter, also known as the , is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans (french: La Nouvelle-Orléans) was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old S ...
'', ''
Moonstruck
''Moonstruck'' is a 1987 American romantic comedy-drama film directed and co-produced by Norman Jewison, written by John Patrick Shanley, and starring Cher, Nicolas Cage, Danny Aiello, Olympia Dukakis, and Vincent Gardenia. The film follow ...
'', ''
Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin ( 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Because of the fame achieved for his ragtime compositions, he was dubbed the "King of Ragtime." During his career, he wrote over 40 original ragtime pieces, one r ...
Mask
A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and pra ...
'', '' Billy Bathgate'', '' Two Weeks Notice'', and other films. He was music director of ''The Movie Music of Woody Allen'', which premiered at the
Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018.
The Hollywood Bowl is known for its disti ...
Twyla Tharp
Twyla Tharp (; born July 1, 1941) is an American dancer, choreographer, and author who lives and works in New York City. In 1966 she formed the company Twyla Tharp Dance. Her work often uses classical music, jazz, and contemporary pop music.
Fr ...
's ''The Bum's Rush'' for the
American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual ei ...
. He was the pianist/conductor/arranger in Tharp's ''Eight Jelly Rolls'', ''Baker's Dozen'', and ''The Bix Pieces'' and similarly arranged and performed for ''Miles Davis: Porgy and Bess'', a choreographed production of the Dance Theater of Dallas. In 2007, his ''Adventures of Tom Sawyer'', commissioned by the
John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts
The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts, is a performing arts company, cultural arts center, and community music school in Eugene, Oregon, United States. The institute has three performance venues, various community meeting rooms, and extensive ...
and produced for the stage by Toni Pimble of the
Eugene Ballet
Eugene Ballet is an American ballet company based in Eugene, Oregon. A resident company of the Hult Center for the Performing Arts, it performs a repertoire of full-length classical ballets, and operates a ballet academy. For more than 20 years ...
, premiered in
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.
As of the 2020 United States Census ...
.
In the 1960s, Hyman recorded several pop albums on
Enoch Light
Enoch Henry Light (August 18, 1907 – July 31, 1978) was an American classically trained violinist, danceband leader, and recording engineer. As the leader of various dance bands that recorded as early as March 1927 and continuing through at l ...
's
Command Records
Origin and history
Command Records was a record label founded by Enoch Light in 1959 and, in October that year, was acquired by ABC-Paramount Records. Light produced a majority of the releases in the label's catalog.
The company focused on prod ...
. At first, he used the
Lowrey organ
The Lowrey organ is an electronic organ named for its developer, Frederick C. Lowrey (1871–1955), a Chicago-based industrialist and entrepreneur. Lowrey's first commercially successful full-sized electronic organ, the Model S Spinet or ''B ...
, on the albums ''Electrodynamics'' (US No. 117), ''Fabulous'' (US No. 132), ''Keyboard Kaleidoscope'' and ''The Man from O.R.G.A.N.'' He later recorded several albums on the
Moog synthesizer
The Moog synthesizer is a modular synthesizer developed by the American engineer Robert Moog. Moog debuted it in 1964, and Moog's company R. A. Moog Co. (later known as Moog Music) produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 2014 ...
which mixed original compositions and cover versions, including ''Moog: The Electric Eclectics of Dick Hyman''(Can No. 35), and ''
The Age of Electronicus
Richard Hyman (born March 8, 1927) is an American jazz pianist and composer. Over a 70-year career, he has worked as a pianist, organist, arranger, music director, electronic musician, and composer. He was named a National Endowment for the A ...
'' (US No. 110).
The track "The Minotaur" from ''The Electric Eclectics'' (1969) charted in the US top 40 (US R&B Singles No. 27; Hot 100 No. 38) (No. 20 Canada), becoming the first Moog single hit (although, as originally released on 45, it was labeled as the B-side to the shorter "Topless Dancers of Corfu"). Some elements from the track "The Moog and Me" (most notably the whistle that serves as the song's lead-in) on the same album were sampled by
Beck
Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his experimental and lo-fi style, and became known for creating musical colla ...
Odelay
''Odelay'' is the fifth studio album by American musician Beck, released on June 18, 1996, by DGC Records. The album featured several successful singles, including " Where It's At", " Devils Haircut", and " The New Pollution", and peaked at num ...
''.
Hyman has been a guest performer at jazz festivals and concert venues. Around 1995, Hyman and his wife moved permanently to Venice, Florida.Feinman, M. (Spring 2012). A Conversation with Dick Hyman. ''Saw Palm, 6,'' 97-99. Retrieved from http://www.sawpalm.org/uploads/6/6/2/8/6628902/saw_palm_-_volume_6_-_2012.pdf on 2 February 2022.
Discography
As leader
As sideman
With Ruby Braff
* ''Bugle Call Rag'' (Jazz Vogue, 1976)
* ''Fireworks'' (Inner City, 1985)
* ''Music from South Pacific'' (Concord Jazz, 1991)
* ''Very Sinatra'' (Red Baron, 1993)
* ''A Pipe Organ Recital Plus One'' (Bellaphon, 1996)
* ''Watch What Happens'' (Arbors, 2002)
* ''You Brought a New Kind of Love'' (Arbors, 2004)
With
Jim Cullum Jr.
James Albert Cullum Jr., better known as Jim Cullum Jr. (September 20, 1941 – August 11, 2019), was an American jazz cornetist known for his contributions to Dixieland jazz. His father was Jim Cullum Sr., a clarinetist who led the Happy Jazz B ...
* ''New Year's All Star Jam'' (Pacific Vista, 1993)
* ''Honky Tonk Train'' (Riverwalk, 1994)
* ''Hot Jazz for a Cool Yule'' (Riverwalk, 1995)
* ''Fireworks! Red Hot & Blues'' (Riverwalk, 1996)
* ''American Love Songs'' (Riverwalk, 1997)
With
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing".
From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His conce ...
* ''Date with the King'' (Columbia, 1956)
* ''Benny Goodman'' (Capitol, 1956)
* ''Benny Goodman Plays Selections from the Benny Goodman Story'' (Capitol, 1956)
With Urbie Green
* ''21 Trombones'' (Project 3, 1967)
* ''21 Trombones Rock, Blues, Jazz, Volume Two'' (Project 3, 1969)
* ''Green Power'' (Project 3, 1971)
* ''Bein' Green'' (Project 3, 1972)
* ''Oleo'' (Pausa, 1978)
With
Enoch Light
Enoch Henry Light (August 18, 1907 – July 31, 1978) was an American classically trained violinist, danceband leader, and recording engineer. As the leader of various dance bands that recorded as early as March 1927 and continuing through at l ...
Wes Montgomery
John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. Montgomery was known for an unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a dist ...
The Alternative Wes Montgomery
''The Alternative Wes Montgomery'' is a compilation album by the American jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery, released in 1982. It contains alternate takes from previous albums for Riverside. All the tracks are available on '' Wes Montgomery: The Comple ...
'' (Milestone, 1982)
* ''Born to Be Blue'' (Riverside, 1983)
With Tony Mottola
* ''Romantic Guitar'' (Command, 1963)
* ''Heart & Soul'' (Project 3, 1966)
* ''Guitar U.S.A.'' (Command, 1967)
* ''Lush, Latin & Lovely'' (Project 3, 1967)
* ''Roma Oggi - Rome Today'' (Project 3, 1968)
* ''Warm, Wild and Wonderful'' (Project 3, 1968)
* ''Tony Mottola's Guitar Factory'' (Project 3, 1970)
* ''Tony Mottola and the Quad Guitars'' (Project 3, 1973)
With
Flip Phillips
Joseph Edward Filippelli (March 26, 1915 – August 17, 2001), known professionally as Flip Phillips, was an American jazz tenor saxophone and clarinet player. He is best remembered for his work with Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic conc ...
* ''Flip Phillips Collates'' (Clef, 1952)
* ''A Real Swinger'' (Concord Jazz, 1988)
* ''Try a Little Tenderness'' (Chiaroscuro, 1993)
* ''Flip Philllips Celebrates His 80th Birthday at the March of Jazz 1995'' (Arbors, 2003)
With
Doc Severinsen
Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American retired jazz trumpeter who led the NBC Orchestra on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''.
Early life
Severinsen was born in Arlington, Oregon, to Minnie Mae (1897–1998) a ...
* ''Fever'' (Command, 1966)
* ''Live!'' (Command, 1966)
* ''The New Sound of Today's Big Band'' (Command, 1967)
With
Bob Wilber
Robert Sage Wilber (March 15, 1928 – August 4, 2019) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, and band leader. Although his scope covers a wide range of jazz, Wilber was a dedicated advocate of classic styles, working throughout his car ...
* ''Soprano Summit'' (World Jazz, 1974)
* ''Summit Reunion'' (Chiaroscuro, 1990)
* ''Bufadora Blow-up'' (Arbors, 1997)
* ''A Perfect Match'' (Arbors, 1998)
* ''Everywhere You Go There's Jazz'' (Arbors, 1999)
* ''A Tribute to Kenny Davern and 80th Birthday Salute to Bob Wilber'' (2009)
With others
* Howard Alden, ''Howard Alden Plays the Music of Harry Reser'' (
Stomp Off
Stomp Off is an American jazz record company and label founded in 1980 by Bob Erdos in York, Pennsylvania. The label's first release was ''Feelin' Devilish'' by Waldo's Gutbucket Serenaders.
It was described in 1986 as concentrating on "jazz in t ...
, 1989)
*
Louis Bellson
Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer ...
and
Gene Krupa
Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973), known as Gene Krupa, was an American jazz drummer, bandleader and composer who performed with energy and showmanship. His drum solo on Benny Goodman's 1937 recording of " Sing, Sing, ...
, ''
The Mighty Two
Track listing
#"Rent Man / Resident Area" - Black Uhuru / Jah Grundy – 7:18
#"Heavy Manners" - Prince Far-I – 3:16
#"Rockers" - Glen Washington – 2:34
#"Rockers Dub" - Joe Gibbs and The Professionals – 2:45
#"Navel String" - Dennis ...
'' (Roulette, 1963)
*
Ruth Brown
Ruth Alston Brown (; January 12, 1928 – November 17, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and actress, sometimes referred to as the " Queen of R&B". She was noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for At ...
Don Elliott
Don Elliott Helfman (October 21, 1926 – July 5, 1984) was an American jazz trumpeter, vibraphonist, vocalist, and mellophone player. Elliott recorded over 60 albums and 5,000 advertising jingles throughout his career.
Career
Elliott played ...
Counterpoint for Six Valves
''Counterpoint for Six Valves'' is an album by American jazz trumpeters Don Elliott and Rusty Dedrick which was recorded in 1955 for the Riverside label.
Slam Stewart
Leroy Eliot "Slam" Stewart (September 21, 1914December 10, 1987) was an American jazz double bass player, whose trademark style was his ability to bow the bass (arco) and simultaneously hum or sing an octave higher. He was a violinist before swi ...
, ''
Shut Yo' Mouth!
''Shut Yo' Mouth'' is a 1981 collaboration album by bassists Major Holley and Slam Stewart, released on PM Records and Delos Records.
Track listing
#" Tomorrow"
#" I Love You"
#" Would You Like To Take A Walk"
#" Side By Side"
#" Close Your Eyes"
...
Mundell Lowe
James Mundell Lowe (April 21, 1922 – December 2, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist who worked often in radio, television, and film, and as a session musician.
He produced film and TV scores in the 1970s, such as the ''Billy Jack'' soundtrac ...
Bette Midler
Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received numerous accolades, including four Golden Gl ...
, '' Songs for the New Depression'' (Atlantic, 1976) – recorded in 1972-76
* Sandy Stewart, ''Sandy Stewart Sings the Songs of Jerome Kern with Dick Hyman at the Piano'' (Audiophile, 1995) – recorded in 1994
*
Toots Thielemans
Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans (29 April 1922 – 22 August 2016), known professionally as Toots Thielemans, was a Belgian jazz musician. He was mostly known for his chromatic harmonica playing, as well as his guitar and whist ...
, ''The Whistler and His Guitar'' (Metronome, 1962)
As arranger
With
Count Basie
William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and th ...
How About This
''How About This'' is an album by vocalist Kay Starr and pianist and bandleader Count Basie, released in 1969 by the Paramount Records label.Edwards, D. & Callahan, MParamount Album Discography accessed November 15, 2015
Background
In the 1960s, ...
'' (Paramount, 1968) with
Kay Starr
Katherine Laverne Starks (July 21, 1922 – November 3, 2016), known professionally as Kay Starr, was an American singer who enjoyed considerable success in the late 1940s and 1950s. She was of Iroquois and Irish heritage. Starr performed multip ...
Flip Phillips
Joseph Edward Filippelli (March 26, 1915 – August 17, 2001), known professionally as Flip Phillips, was an American jazz tenor saxophone and clarinet player. He is best remembered for his work with Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic conc ...