Career
Hyams had her own trio and quartet from 1940 to 1944, and played with Woody Herman and Flip Phillips in the mid-1940s. In 1945, she played with the all-female band Black & White Records#HipChicks, Hip ChicksGilbert Chase (1906–1992), ''American Music'', From the Pilgrims to the Present,' revised 3rd ed., pg. 522, University of Illinois Press (1987) and, with guitarists such as Tal Farlow, Mundell Lowe, and Billy Bauer, formed another trio that performed on Manhattan's 52nd Street (Manhattan)#Jazz center, 52nd Street until 1948.Sally Joan Placksin, ''American Women in Jazz, 1900 to Present'', Wideview Books, 1982 In 1946, she arranged and sang with Charlie Ventura and recorded with Mary Lou Williams. Hyams joined George Shearing from 1949 to 1950.Woody Herman
Jack Siefert, a lifelong friend of Woody Herman, introduced Hyams to Herman, who had broken convention in 1941 by hiring female trumpeter Billie Rogers. Hyams was one of Herman's vibraphonist alumni that included Terry Gibbs, Red Norvo, and Milt Jackson, all of whom, according to jazz author Doug Ramsey, were elite musicians. Later reflecting on her time with Herman's Woody_Herman#Be-bop_and_the_First_Herd,_1944–1946, First Herd, Hyams said:George Shearing
Hyams was a founding member (1949-50) of the popular George Shearing Quintet, which introduced a new and much-imitated ensemble sound in small group modern jazz. In his autobiography, Shearing called Hyams a "very fine musician" and "thoroughly schooled classical pianist." He said they "got on very well" and acknowledged her contribution of ''November Seascape'' and other original compositions. He added that when she left the group, he thought she had "just got tired of working for someone else and traveling so much, even though she was drawing a good salary."Personal life
Hyams was born August 9, 1920, in Brooklyn, New York and grew up in Jamaica, Queens. Her brother, Mark Hyams (1914–2007), was a jazz pianist who played with big bands, including those of Will Hudson (songwriter), Will Hudson (mid-1930s) and Spud Murphy (late 1930s). Hyams married William G. "Bill" Ericsson (1927–1978) on June 6, 1950 in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.''Cook County, Illinois, Marriage Index, 1930–1960'' and, from 1951 to 1970, played, taught, and arranged in Chicago. Margie and Bill had three children: Lisa, Kristin, and Tod. Hyams died June 14, 2012, in Arcadia, California. The media, marquees, and promos often spelled her first name "Margie", but she insisted that it was spelled with a "j".Selected discography
References
General references
* Roger Cotterrell, 'The Fleeting Fame of Marjorie Hyams' ''Jazz Rag'', issue 183 (Winter 2024) pp.16-17. * ''The Complete Jazz At the Philharmonic On Verve, 1944–49,'' 10 CDs, Verve Records (1998) * Scott Yanow, [ Marjorie Hyams] at Allmusic * ''The Complete Encyclopedia of Popular Music and Jazz, 1900-1950,'' Three volumes, by Roger D. Kinkle (1916–2000), "Hyams" in Vol 2, Arlington House Publishers, New Rochelle, NY (1974) * ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Third edition,'' Eight volumes, edited by Colin Larkin (writer), Colin Larkin, "Hyams in Vol 4, Muze, London (1998) Grove's Dictionaries, New York (1998) * ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, First edition,'' Two volumes, edited by Barry Dean Kernfeld, Macmillan Publishers, Macmillan Press, London (1988) * ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz,'' edited by Barry Dean Kernfeld, St. Martin's Press, New York (1994) * ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, Second edition,'' Three volumes, edited by Barry Dean Kernfeld, Macmillan Publishers, London (2002) * William D. Clancy, with Audree Coke Kenton, foreword by Steve Allen, ''Woody Herman: Chronicles of the Herds'', Schirmer Books (1995)Inline citations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyams, Marjie 1920 births 2012 deaths 20th-century vibraphonists American jazz vibraphonists Bebop musicians American women jazz musicians 20th-century American women musicians 21st-century American women Women vibraphonists