Eddie Higgins
Eddie Higgins (* as Edward Haydn Higgins on 21st February 1932 in Cambridge , Massachusetts , † 31 August 2009 in Fort Lauderdale , Florida ) was an American jazz pianist of modern jazz .
Live and act
As a child, Eddie Higgins took piano lessons from his mother and then studied music at university. In the early 1950s he worked in Chicago clubs, such as London House . During this time he also had his own smaller formations. In 1956 he worked for Sandy Mosse , in 1958 for Cy Touff , in 1960 for Lee Morgan . In 1962 he accompanied Wayne Shorter on his early album Wayning Moments .
In 1966 he founded the record label Dunwhich Records . He was best known as a soloist; but he also recorded several albums with his own formations, in which u. a. Ray Drummond , Milt Hinton , Kevin Eubanks and Rufus Reid served as companions. Higgins also played with Coleman Hawkins , Sonny Stitt and George Masso . In the 1990s he accompanied his wife, the singer Meredith D'Ambrosio , on several albums. Higgins last lived in Fort Lauderdale, where he died of cancer in late August 2009 at the age of 77 .
Higgins' piano style was based heavily on Hank Jones . His later style of music was more in line with mainstream jazz and moved between hard bop and swing with references to the Brazilian music of Antônio Carlos Jobim .
Selection discography
As a leader
- 1986 - By Request (Solo Art) with Milt Hinton , Bobby Rosengarden
- 1990 - Those Quiet Days (Sunnyside) with Kevin Eubanks , Rufus Reid
- 1994 - Zoot's Hymns (Sunnyside) with John Doughten, Phil Flanigan , Danny Burger
- 1997 - Haunted Heart (Sunnyside) with Ray Drummond , Ben Riley
- 1998 - Speaking Of Jobim (Sunnyside) with Jay Leonhart , Terry Clarke
- 1999 - Time On My Hands ( Arbors Records ) solo
As a sideman
- Meredith D'Ambrosio: Love Is Not A Game (Sunnyside, 1990); Shadowland (Sunnyside, 1992); Because Of Spring (Sunnyside, 1994)
- Chuck Hedges Just For Fun ( Arbors Records )
- George Masso: The Wonderful World of George Gershwin (Nagel-Heyer, 1992)
- Lee Morgan: Indestructible Lee (Affinity, 1960)
- Sandy Mosse: Relaxin´ With Sandy Mosse (Argo / Fresh Sound, 1956)
- Wayne Shorter: Wayning Moments (Vee Jay, 1962)
- Sonny Stitt: Sonny's Last Recordings (Kingdom Jazz, 1981)
- Cy Touff: Touff Assignment (Argo / Fresh Sound, 1958)
literature
- Richard Cook , Brian Morton : The Penguin Guide of Jazz on CD . 6th edition. Penguin, London 2002, ISBN 0-14-051521-6 .
Web links
- Higgins' short biography from jazzdiscography.com
- Complete discography from 1956 to 2006 from jazzdiscography.com
Individual evidence
- ↑ obituary at All About Jazz ( Memento from July 31, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Higgins, Eddie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Higgins, Edward Haydn (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American modern jazz pianist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 21, 1932 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Cambridge , Massachusetts |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 31, 2009 |
| Place of death | Fort Lauderdale , Florida |