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 m ...
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 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 federal ...
Jazz Masters fellow in 2017. His grandson is designer and artist Adam Charlap Hyman.
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 Ch ...
'' 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. His older brother, Arthur, owned a jazz record collection and introduced him to the music of Bix Beiderbecke and Art Tatum.
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. 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.
You Couldn't Be Cuter
"You Couldn't Be Cuter" is a 1938 song composed by Jerome Kern, with lyrics written by Dorothy Fields.
It was written for the film ''Joy of Living'' (1938) where it was introduced by Irene Dunne.
Popular recordings in 1938 were by Tommy Dorsey ...
" 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, Perry Como, Guy Mitchell, Joni James,
Marvin Rainwater
Marvin Karlton Rainwater (July 2, 1925 – September 17, 2013) was an American country and rockabilly singer and songwriter who had several hits during the late 1950s, including " Gonna Find Me a Bluebird" and " Whole Lotta Woman," which hit #1 ...
The Playmates
The Playmates were an American late 1950s vocal group led by the pianist Chic Hetti (born Carl Cicchetti, 26 February 1930), drummer Donny Conn (born Donald Claps, 29 March 1930 – September 2, 2015), and Morey Carr (31 July 1932 – 1987), a ...
, The Wildcats, The Kookie Cats, The Four Freshmen, The Four Sophomores, Mitch Miller, 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 ...
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, w ...
The Lemon Sisters
''The Lemon Sisters'' is a 1990 American comedy-drama, comedy-drama film from Miramax Films directed by Joyce Chopra and written by Jeremy Pikser. The film stars Diane Keaton, Carol Kane and Kathryn Grody. The film was both a Box office bomb, comm ...
'' and '' Alan and Naomi''. His music has also been heard in ''
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
''Billy Bathgate'' is a 1989 novel by author E. L. Doctorow that won the 1989 National Book Critics Circle award for fiction for 1990, the 1990 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the 1990 William Dean Howells Medal, and was the runner-up for the 1 ...
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. 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 and produced for the stage by Toni Pimble of the Eugene Ballet, 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 ...
's Command Records. At first, he used the Lowrey organ, 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 which mixed original compositions and cover versions, including ''Moog: The Electric Eclectics of Dick Hyman''(Can No. 35), and '' The Age of Electronicus'' (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 for the track " Sissyneck" on his 1996 album '' Odelay''.
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.
* ''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 conc ...
* ''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 ...
* ''Show Spectacular'' (Grand Award, 1959)
* ''The Original Roaring 20's Volume 4'' (Grand Award, 1961)
* ''Enoch Light and the Glittering Guitars'' (Project 3, 1969)
* ''Enoch Light Presents Spaced Out'' (Project 3, 1969)
* ''Permissive Polyphonics'' (Project 3, 1970)
With Wes Montgomery
* '' Fusion!'' (Riverside, 1963)
* ''Pretty Blue'' (Milestone, 1975)
* '' The Alternative Wes Montgomery'' (Milestone, 1982)
* ''Born to Be Blue'' (Riverside, 1983)
With
Tony Mottola
Anthony C. Mottola (April 18, 1918 – August 9, 2004) was an American jazz guitarist who released dozens of solo albums. Mottola was born in Kearny, New Jersey and died in Denville.
Career
Like many of his contemporaries, Mottola began ...
* ''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
* ''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
* ''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 care ...
* ''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 ...
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 W ...
Miss Rhythm
''Miss Rhythm'' is an album by vocalist Ruth Brown featuring tracks recorded between 1954 and 1959 and released on the Atlantic label.Evan Christopher, ''Delta Bound'' (Arbors, 2007)
* Don Elliott and
Rusty Dedrick
Lyle "Rusty" Dedrick (12 July 1918 – 25 December 2009) was an American swing and bebop jazz trumpeter and composer born in Delevan, New York, probably better known for his work with Bill Borden, Dick Stabile, Red Norvo, Ray McKinley and Cla ...
J. J. Johnson
J.J. Johnson (January 22, 1924 – February 4, 2001), born James Louis Johnson and also known as Jay Jay Johnson, was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger.
Johnson was one of the earliest trombonists to embrace bebop.
Biograph ...
That's How I Love the Blues! That's may refer to:
* ''"That's"'', a brand name used on recordable media by Taiyo Yuden and its subsidiary ''That's Fukushima Co., Ltd.''
* Several English-language listings magazines in the People's Republic of China
**''That's Beijing''
**''Tha ...
'' (Riverside, 1963) – recorded in 1962
* Bette Midler, ''
Songs for the New Depression
''Songs for the New Depression'' is the third studio album by the American singer Bette Midler, released in early 1976 on the Atlantic Records label. The album was released on CD for the first time in 1990. A remastered version of the album was r ...
'' (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, ''The Whistler and His Guitar'' (Metronome, 1962)
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, ...
Trigger Alpert
Herman "Trigger" Alpert (September 3, 1916 – December 21, 2013) was an American jazz bassist from Indianapolis, Indiana.
Music career
A native of Indianapolis, Alpert attended Indiana University, where he studied music. Soon after, he played ...