Eddie Higgins

Edward Haydn Higgins (February 21, 1932 – August 31, 2009) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and orchestrator. His performance and composition in 1959's " Cry of Jazz" is preserved in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry.

Biography

Born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, Higgins initially studied privately with his mother. He started his professional career in Chicago, Illinois, while studying at the Northwestern University School of Music and earned a spot in fellow Northwestern alumnus Paul Severson's band in 1956 before leading his own band in 1957.

For more than two decades Higgins worked at some of Chicago's most prestigious jazz clubs, including the Brass Rail, Preview Lounge, Blue Note, Cloister Inn and Jazz, Ltd. His longest and most memorable tenure was at the long-gone London House, where he led his jazz trio from 1957 to the late 1960s, playing opposite jazz stars of this period, including Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Erroll Garner, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Wes Montgomery, Oscar Peterson and George Shearing, among others. Later, Higgins said the opportunities to play jazz music with Coleman Hawkins and Oscar Peterson were unforgettable moments. Higgins spent his time at the London House Restaurant with bassist Richard Evans and drummer Marshall Thompson. Higgins also worked for Chess Records as a producer.

During his stay in Chicago, Higgins also recorded a significant number of albums under his auspices and many more as a sideman with a wide variety of musicians, ranging in style from tenor saxophonists Hawkins to Sonny Stitt to Wayne Shorter; trumpeters Bobby Lewis to Harry Edison to Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard; and trombonists Jack Teagarden to Al Grey. His versatility was captured on stage and records, backing up singers and leading his own projects as both pianist and orchestrator, working in every jazz circle from dixieland to modal styles. Although he opted to decline the offer, Higgins was asked at one point by Art Blakey to join the seminal hard bop quintet, The Jazz Messengers.

In 1970, Higgins moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and began spending winters in Florida and summers on Cape Cod, where he played in local clubs. Since the early 1980s, he traveled widely on the jazz festival circuit and performed frequently in Europe and Japan. His releases on the Japanese ''Venus'' label earned him number one in jazz sales on more than one album. After that, Higgins played his music mainly in East Asia including Japan and South Korea. During his career in East Asia, Higgins formed a successful trio with Joe Ascione (drums), and Jay Leonhart (bass). In 1988, Higgins and jazz singer and pianist Meredith d'Ambrosio were married and became a popular team at clubs and festivals, as well as recording for Sunnyside Records.

In 2009, dates in Japan and Korea were on his calendar of upcoming concerts, but were suspended due to a long illness.

Higgins died on August 31, 2009, of lung and lymphatic cancer in Fort Lauderdale at the age of 77.

Style

Eddie Higgins's delicate tone and conception were often compared to those of Bill Evans, one of the most influential and successful jazz pianists. He mostly played bop and mainstream jazz music throughout his career. Higgins was at home playing melodies with swing-like feeling. His melodies had groove and swing without being superfluous, and was often compared to Oscar Peterson and Nat King Cole.

Accomplishment

In 2009, Eddie Higgins received Jazz Disc Award from the most respected jazz magazine in Japan, ''Swing Journal''. With his album, ''Portraits of Love'', Higgins won the ''Best Album of the Year''. In the same year, Higgins received another award from ''Best Engineering Album of the Year''.

Discography

As leader

Source:

Compilations

*''Relaxin' at the Lounge'' (Venus)
*''Standard Higgins'' (Venus)
*''Ballad Higgins'' (Venus)
*''Tenderly: The Best of Eddie Higgins'' (Venus)

Source:

As sideman

With Paul Severson

* 1957 ''Jazz (Replica)''
* 1957 ''Misty Island/Please Love Me (Altair)''

With Meredith d'Ambrosio
* 1989 ''South to a Warmer Place''
* 1991 ''Love Is Not a Game''
* 1993 ''Shadowland''
* 1995 ''Beware of Spring!''
* 2001 ''Love Is for the Birds''

With Wayne Shorter
* 1962 '' Wayning Moments''
* 2002 ''All or Nothing at All''
* 2013 ''Beginnings''

With Lee Morgan
* 1960 '' Expoobident''
* 2002 ''Just in Time''

With Sonny Stitt
* 2000 ''Sonny, Sweets, and Jaws: Live at Bubba's''
* 2001 ''No Greater Love''
* 2004 ''Just Friends: Live at Bubba's Jazz Restaurant 1981''

With Warren Vaché
* 1999 ''Mrs. Vache's Boys''
* 2007 ''Remember''

With Chuck Hedges
* 1992 ''No Greater Love''
* 2001 ''Just for Fun''

With others
* 1957 ''This Is Lucy Reed'', Lucy Reed
* 1959 ''Touff Assignment'', Cy Touff
* 1961 ''Brilliant'', Don Goldie
* 1961 '' The Thinking Man’s Trombone'' Al Grey
* 1963 ''Sextet in Person'', Jack Teagarden
* 1985 ''The Great Fontana'', Carl Fontana
* 1992 ''The Wonderful World of George Gershwin'', George Masso
* 1996 ''A Time for Love'', John Doughten
* 1996 ''Stolen Goods'', Betty Dickson
* 1997 ''Double Rainbow'', Rebecca Parris
* 1999 ''Great Duets'', Jay Leonhart
* 2001 ''Indian Summer'', Greg Fishman
* 2005 ''Hot & Blue Vol. 1–2'', Bill Allred
* 2016 '' One Night in Indy'', Wes Montgomery

Source:

References

External links

Biography by Higgins's friend, Bill Gallagher

Obituary in ''Chicago Tribune''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Higgins, Eddie
1932 births
2009 deaths
American jazz pianists
American male jazz pianists
American jazz bandleaders
Bienen School of Music alumni
Musicians from Cambridge, Massachusetts
Jazz musicians from Chicago
Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Florida
Vee-Jay Records artists
Atlantic Records artists
20th-century American pianists
Jazz musicians from Massachusetts
20th-century American male musicians
Sunnyside Records artists