John Hicks

“[His] rare combination of musical qualities coalesce with an imposing technical ability, marked by uncanny manual independence and nearly unparalleled digital dexterity in the formation of a personal style that is as instantly identifiable as it is notable for both its lyricism and strength.” --Russ Musto, All About Jazz

The jazz community lost one of its unsung heroes with the passing of pianist John Hicks on May 10, 2006, at the age of 64. A mentee of Lucky Thompson, Miles Davis and Clark Terry, Hicks appeared with the likes of Woody Herman, Pharoah Sanders, Johnny Griffin, Lou Donalson, Joe Henderson, Kenny Dorham, Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Freddie Hubbard, and Betty Carter. Hicks was one of the most prolific and versatile artists of his generation, appearing on a long list of diverse recordings as sideman and leader.

John Hicks was born in Atlanta and spent much of his childhood in Los Angeles where he had his first piano lessons with his mother. He moved with his family to St. Louis when he was in his teens, where he played for the choir of his father’s church and was a classmate of Lester Bowie. After high school graduation, Hicks attended Lincoln University (MO), the Berklee School of Music in Boston, and Juilliard. After traveling as a blues side man, he settled in New York City, where his first gig was with Della Reese. Hicks developed an eclectic style, drawing on such diverse influences as Fats Waller, Methodist church music, George Gershwin, and Thelonious Monk, and playing in avant garde as well as straight-ahead settings. He was a regular member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and later toured with Betty Carter, a gig that brought him greater visibility as a world-class bop pianist. In the past 15 years, Hicks had concentrated more on his solo and small ensemble work, including recordings with Joshua Redman, Al Grey, Clark Terry, Ron Carter, Grady Tate, Charles Tolliver, Oliver Lake, Roy Hargrove, Gary Bartz, Ray Drummond, and Bobby Watson, and collaborations with flutist Elise Wood, whom he married in 2001. Although best known as a performer, Hicks was also a dedicated educator, having taught jazz and improvisation at Southern Illinois University in the early 70s and more recently at the New School for Social Research and New York University.

John Hicks leaves an immense discography. Notable among his recent works are his tribute recordings with his trio on High Note--Something to Live For (Billy Strayhorn, 1998), Nightwind (Erroll Garner, 1999), Impressions of Mary Lou (Williams, 2000), Music in the Key of Clark (Sonny Clark, 2002); and most recently, Fatha’s Day (Earl Hines, 2003). He and wife Elise Wood released their self-produced duo recording, Beautiful Friendship, in 2001 (Hiwood). Also known for his compositions, Hicks most acclaimed work was “Naima’s Love Song,” recorded on Some Other Time (Evidence, 1981) with bassist Walter Booker and drummer Idris Muhammed.

John Hicks’ last performance (his trio and Lori Hartman, Elise Wood, and Aaron James) was at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Manhattan earlier this spring, where his father, the late John Hicks Sr., had served as senior minister, and where Hicks first played after moving to New York in 1963. I had the fortune to see John Hicks two years ago at Blues Alley in Washington, DC, during his tour with the Curtis Fuller Sextet. It was a swinging evening, and much of the vitality and melodicism came from the keyboard of one of the lesser known titans of bebop and post bop.

“As a leader or first-call sideman, playing inside or outside the chord changes, presenting sparkling ballads or burning up the keyboard at torrid tempos, Hicks was as versatile as he was omnipresent.”—All About Jazz