Walter Howard "Hod" O'Brien (January 19, 1936 – November 20, 2016) was an American
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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
pianist.
O'Brien was born in
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
. He attended the
Hotchkiss School
The Hotchkiss School is a private college-preparatory day and boarding school in Lakeville, Connecticut. It educates approximately 600 students in grades 9–12, plus postgraduates. Founded in 1891, it was one of the first English-style boardi ...
and then studied at the
Oberlin Conservatory
The Oberlin Conservatory of Music is a private music conservatory of Oberlin College, a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio. It was founded in 1865 and is the second oldest conservatory and oldest continually operating conservatory in ...
and the
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory
A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music a ...
(1954–1957). He began playing professionally in 1950, and substituted for
Randy Weston
Randolph Edward "Randy" Weston (April 6, 1926 – September 1, 2018) was an American jazz pianist and composer whose creativity was inspired by his ancestral African connection.
Weston's piano style owed much to Duke Ellington and Thelonious M ...
in 1955. He led his own group in
Lenox, Massachusetts
Lenox is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is in Western Massachusetts and part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Pittsfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,095 at the 2020 United States census ...
during 1956–57, then joined
Oscar Pettiford
Oscar Pettiford (September 30, 1922 – September 8, 1960) was an American jazz double bassist and composer. He was one of the earliest musicians to work in the bebop idiom.
Jazz bassist Christian McBride called Pettiford "probably the most imp ...
in 1957–58, and
J.R. Monterose/
Elvin Jones
Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such albums as ''My Fa ...
in 1958–59. Between 1960 and 1963, he played with
Phil Woods
Philip Wells Woods (November 2, 1931 – September 29, 2015) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer.
Biography
Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. After inheriting a saxophone at age 12, he began t ...
,
Freddie Hubbard
Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives fo ...
,
Charlie Rouse, and
Lee Konitz
Leon "Lee" Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist and composer.
He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's ass ...
. In 1964, he enrolled at
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
, where he studied mathematics and psychology, achieving his bachelor's degree in 1969; he then took a position in computer programming at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
during 1969–1974, and studied computer music under
Hall Overton and
Charles Wuorinen
Charles Peter Wuorinen (, ; June 9, 1938 – March 11, 2020) was an American composer of contemporary classical music based in New York City. He also performed as a pianist and conductor. Wuorinen composed more than 270 works: orchestral music, c ...
.
O'Brien ran the St. James Infirmary jazz club in New York City in 1974–75, and played in the house band alongside
Beaver Harris and
Cameron Brown; this group accompanied
Roswell Rudd
Roswell Hopkins Rudd Jr. (November 17, 1935 – December 21, 2017) was an American jazz trombonist and composer.
Although skilled in a variety of genres of jazz (including Dixieland, which he performed while in college), and other genres of musi ...
,
Sheila Jordan
Sheila Jordan (born Sheila Jeanette Dawson; November 18, 1928) is an American jazz singer and songwriter. She has recorded as a session musician with an array of critically acclaimed artists in addition to recording her own albums. Jordan pionee ...
,
Chet Baker
Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool".
Baker earned much attention and ...
,
Zoot Sims
John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...
,
Al Cohn
Al Cohn (November 24, 1925 – February 15, 1988) was an American jazz saxophonist, arranger and composer. He came to prominence in the band of clarinetist Woody Herman and was known for his longtime musical partnership with fellow saxophonist ...
,
Pepper Adams
Park Frederick "Pepper" Adams III (October 8, 1930 – September 10, 1986) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist and composer. He composed 42 pieces, was the leader on eighteen albums spanning 28 years, and participated in 600 sessions as a s ...
, and
Archie Shepp
Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz.
Biography Early life
Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...
, among others. He played with
Marshall Brown (1975),
Russell Procope and
Sonny Greer
William Alexander "Sonny" Greer (December 13, – March 23, 1982) was an American jazz drummer and vocalist, best known for his work with Duke Ellington.
Early life and career
Greer was born in Long Branch, New Jersey. There has been long-sta ...
(1977),
Joe Puma (1977–1982, at Gregory's in New York City), and
Stephanie Nakasian (1982). He later married Nakasian. (Their daughter is singer
Veronica Swift
Veronica Swift (born May 14, 1994) is an American jazz and bebop singer.
Early life
Swift was raised in Charlottesville, Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, as part of a family of musicians. Her parents are late jazz pianist Hod O'Brien and ...
.) He taught at Turtle Bay Music School 1972–1975, and in the 1990s at the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...
.
Hod O'Brien continued playing actively while he underwent treatment for cancer. He died at the age of 80 on November 20, 2016.
Discography
As leader
* ''I'm a Sucker Too'' (Silvertone)
* ''Bits and Pieces'' (
Uptown, 1982)
* ''Opalessence'' (
Criss Cross, 1985)
* ''Ridin' High'' (
Reservoir
A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation.
Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...
, 1990)
* ''Hod & Cole'' (JazzMania, 1993)
* ''So That's How it Is'' (Reservoir, 1998)
* ''Fine and Dandy'' (
Fresh Sound
Fresh Sound, or Fresh Sound New Talent, is a jazz record label established in Barcelona, Spain, by Jordi Pujol. The label was initially founded as a reissue label.
The catalog includes work by musicians both major and minor that was recorded be ...
, 2004)
* ''Have Piano Will Swing'' (Fresh Sound, 2004)
* ''Live at Blues Alley, Sets 1–3'' (Reservoir, 2005)
As sideman
With
Ted Brown
*''
In Good Company'' (Criss Cross, 1985) with
Jimmy Raney
James Elbert Raney (August 20, 1927 – May 10, 1995) was an American jazz guitarist, born in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, known for his work from 1951 to 1952 and then from 1953 to 1954 with the Red Norvo trio (replacing Tal Farlow) a ...
*''Free Spirit'' (Criss Cross, 1989)
With
Chet Baker
Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool".
Baker earned much attention and ...
*''
Blues for a Reason'' (Criss Cross Jazz, 1984)
With
Art Farmer
Arthur Stewart Farmer (August 21, 1928 – October 4, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet–flugelhorn combination especially designed for him. He and his identical twin brother, doub ...
,
Donald Byrd
Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter, composer and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few h ...
and
Idrees Sulieman
Idrees Sulieman, born Leonard Graham (August 7, 1923 – July 23, 2002), was an American bop and hard bop trumpeter.
Biography
Graham was born in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States, later changing his name to Idrees Sulieman, after conve ...
* ''
Three Trumpets'' (Prestige, 1957)
With
Stephanie Nakasian
* ''
Comin' Alive'' (1989)
* ''
French Cookin''' (1992)
* ''
BitterSweet'' (1993)
* ''
Invitation to an Escapade'' (2001)
* ''
Lullaby in Rhythm: In Tribute to June Christy'' (2002)
* ''
Thrush Hour: A Study of the Great Ladies of Jazz'' (2006)
* ''
I Love You'' (2006)
* ''
Dedicated to Lee Wiley'' (2009)
With
Joe Puma
* ''Shining Hour'' (Reservoir 1984)
With
Roswell Rudd
Roswell Hopkins Rudd Jr. (November 17, 1935 – December 21, 2017) was an American jazz trombonist and composer.
Although skilled in a variety of genres of jazz (including Dixieland, which he performed while in college), and other genres of musi ...
* ''
Flexible Flyer'' (Arista/Freedom 1974)
With
Rene Thomas
* ''
Guitar Groove'' (Jazzland, 1960)
References
Sources
*
Leonard Feather
Leonard Geoffrey Feather (13 September 1914 – 22 September 1994) was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer, who was best known for his music journalism and other writing.
Biography
Feather was born in London, England, into an u ...
and
Ira Gitler, ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz''. Oxford, 1999, p. 502.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Hod
1936 births
2016 deaths
Jazz musicians from Chicago
Hotchkiss School alumni
Columbia College (New York) alumni
American jazz pianists
American male jazz pianists
Jazz musicians from Connecticut
Reservoir Records artists
Criss Cross Jazz artists
Uptown Records (jazz) artists
Fresh Sounds Records artists