Bill Hardman
Encyclopedia
William Franklin Hardman, Jr. (April 6, 1933, Cleveland, Ohio – December 5, 1990, Paris, France) was an American
jazz
trumpeter and flugelhornist who chiefly played hard bop
.
, and after graduating he joined Tiny Bradshaw
's band. While not well known, he appeared and recorded with some of the foremost jazz musicians. His first recording was with Jackie McLean
in 1955. He later played with Charles Mingus
, Art Blakey
and the Jazz Messengers, Horace Silver
, and Lou Donaldson
, and led a group with Junior Cook
. He also recorded as a leader. A most underrated musician — boasting three separate tours of duty in as many decades with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers — Hardman's bad luck was to not be with the Messengers at the time of their popular Blue Note recordings. Originally a crackling hard bop player with blazing technique, crisp articulations, and a no-frills sound, Hardman soon began to play with some of the fuller, more extroverted romantic passion of a Clifford Brown, a direction he would take increasingly throughout the 1960s and 1970s. When put to the test, few could match and none exceed his pyrotechnical or imaginative gifts (Blakey would occasionally feature him playing several extended choruses unaccompanied). In the New York City jazz scene of the 1970s it was not uncommon to attend all-star trumpet sessions on which the unassuming, self-effacing Hardman would go head to head with heralded trumpet stars and emerge the clear and decisive winner.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
trumpeter and flugelhornist who chiefly played hard bop
Hard bop
Hard bop is a style of jazz that is an extension of bebop music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz which incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone and piano...
.
Biography
While in high school he appeared with Tadd DameronTadd Dameron
Tadley Ewing Peake "Tadd" Dameron was an American jazz composer, arranger and pianist. Saxophonist Dexter Gordon called Dameron the "romanticist" of the bop movement, while reviewer Scott Yanow writes that Dameron was the "definitive arranger/composer of the bop era".-Biography:Born in Cleveland,...
, and after graduating he joined Tiny Bradshaw
Tiny Bradshaw
Myron C. Bradshaw was an American jazz and rhythm and blues bandleader, singer, composer, pianist, and drummer from Youngstown, Ohio.-Early years:...
's band. While not well known, he appeared and recorded with some of the foremost jazz musicians. His first recording was with Jackie McLean
Jackie McLean
John Lenwood McLean was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader and educator, born in New York City.-Biography:McLean's father, John Sr., played guitar in Tiny Bradshaw's orchestra...
in 1955. He later played with Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. was an American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist.Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third stream, free jazz, and classical music...
, Art Blakey
Art Blakey
Arthur "Art" Blakey , known later as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, was an American Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer and bandleader. He was a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community....
and the Jazz Messengers, Horace Silver
Horace Silver
Horace Silver , born Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silva in Norwalk, Connecticut, is an American jazz pianist and composer....
, and Lou Donaldson
Lou Donaldson
Lou Donaldson is a jazz alto saxophonist. He was born in Badin, North Carolina. He is best known for his soulful, bluesy approach to playing the alto saxophone, although in his formative years he was, as many were of the bebop era, heavily influenced by Charlie Parker.His first recordings were...
, and led a group with Junior Cook
Junior Cook
Herman "Junior" Cook was a hard bop tenor saxophone player.-Biography:Cook was born in Pensacola, Florida. After playing with Dizzy Gillespie in 1958, Cook gained some fame for his longtime membership in the Horace Silver Quintet ; when he and Blue Mitchell left that band, Cook played in...
. He also recorded as a leader. A most underrated musician — boasting three separate tours of duty in as many decades with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers — Hardman's bad luck was to not be with the Messengers at the time of their popular Blue Note recordings. Originally a crackling hard bop player with blazing technique, crisp articulations, and a no-frills sound, Hardman soon began to play with some of the fuller, more extroverted romantic passion of a Clifford Brown, a direction he would take increasingly throughout the 1960s and 1970s. When put to the test, few could match and none exceed his pyrotechnical or imaginative gifts (Blakey would occasionally feature him playing several extended choruses unaccompanied). In the New York City jazz scene of the 1970s it was not uncommon to attend all-star trumpet sessions on which the unassuming, self-effacing Hardman would go head to head with heralded trumpet stars and emerge the clear and decisive winner.
As leader
- 1956 - Jackie's Pal (OJC) with Jackie McLean, Mal Waldron, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones
- 1961 - Saying Something (Savoy RecordsSavoy RecordsSavoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part in popularizing bebop.Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part...
) - 1975 - Colors (Strata-East RecordsStrata-East RecordsStrata-East Records is an American record label specialising in jazz which was founded in 1971 by Stanley Cowell and Charles Tolliver.Gil Scott-Heron recorded his 1974 album Winter in America with Brian Jackson for Strata-East. "The Bottle" featured on the album, was a popular single...
, with Brass Company) - 1978 - Home (Muse Records)
- 1989 - Focus (Muse)
- 1981 - Politely (Muse)
- 1989 - What's Up (Steeplechase) with Robin Eubanks, Junior Cook, Mickey Tucker
As sideman
- Jackie McLean: Jackie's Pal (OJC)
- 1957 - Charles Mingus: A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and PoetryA Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and PoetryA Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry is an album by jazz bassist Charles Mingus. In spite of the title, the album does not contain any poetry. "Scenes in the City", however, includes narration performed by Melvin Stewart and written by actor Lonne Elder with assistance from Langston Hughes...
(BethlehemBethlehem RecordsBethlehem Records was a record label based in New York and Hollywood founded by Gus Wildi in 1953. It was bought by King Records in the early 1960s....
) - 1957 - Mal WaldronMal WaldronMalcolm Earl Waldron was an American jazz and world music pianist and composer, born in New York City.Like his contemporaries, Waldron's roots lie chiefly in the hard bop and post-bop genres of the New York club scene of the 1950s; but with time, he gravitated more towards free jazz and composition...
: Mal 2Mal-2 (album)Mal/2 is the second album by American jazz pianist Mal Waldron recorded in 1957 and released on the Prestige label. The CD reissue added two additional recordings from the same sessions originally released on The Dealers as bonus tracks....
(OJC) with John ColtraneJohn ColtraneJohn William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz... - 1957 - Art BlakeyArt BlakeyArthur "Art" Blakey , known later as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, was an American Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer and bandleader. He was a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community....
: Reflections of Buhaina - 1958 - Art BlakeyArt BlakeyArthur "Art" Blakey , known later as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, was an American Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer and bandleader. He was a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community....
: Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers With Thelonious MonkArt Blakey's Jazz Messengers with Thelonious Monk-Side two:-1999 bonus tracks:-Personnel:* Bill Hardman — trumpet* Johnny Griffin — tenor saxophone* Thelonious Monk — piano* Spanky DeBrest — bass* Art Blakey — drums-Additional personnel:* Nesuhi Ertegün — producer* Earl Brown — recording engineer... - 1960 - Lou DonaldsonLou DonaldsonLou Donaldson is a jazz alto saxophonist. He was born in Badin, North Carolina. He is best known for his soulful, bluesy approach to playing the alto saxophone, although in his formative years he was, as many were of the bebop era, heavily influenced by Charlie Parker.His first recordings were...
: Sunny Side UpSunny Side Up (Lou Donaldson album)Sunny Side Up is an album by jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldson recorded for the Blue Note label and performed by Donaldson with Bill Hardman, Horace Parlan, Sam Jones, Al Harewood, with Laymon Jackson replacing Jones on four tracks... - 1961 - Dave Bailey: Two Feet in the Gutter (Epic RecordsEpic RecordsEpic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
) - 1964 - Lou Donaldson: Possum HeadPossum HeadPossum Head is an album by jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldson recorded for the Argo label in 1964 and performed by Donaldson with Bill Hardman, Big John Patton, Ray Crawford, Ben Dixon, and Cleopas Morris....
- 1965 - Lou Donaldson: Musty RustyMusty RustyMusty Rusty is an album by jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldson recorded for the Cadet label in 1965 and performed by Donaldson with Bill Hardman, Billy Gardner, Grant Green, and Ben Dixon....
- 1965 - Lou Donaldson: Fried BuzzardFried BuzzardFried Buzzard is a live album by jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldson recorded at the Bon Ton Club in Buffalo, NY for the Cadet label in 1965 and performed Donaldson with Bill Hardman, Billy Gardner, Warren Stephens, and Leo Morris....
- 1969 - Eddie JeffersonEddie JeffersonEddie Jefferson was a celebrated jazz vocalist and lyricist. He is credited as an innovator of vocalese, a musical style in which lyrics are set to an instrumental composition or solo. Perhaps his best-known song is "Moody's Mood for Love", though it was first recorded by King Pleasure, who cited...
: Come Along with Me (OJC) - 1987 - Steve TurreSteve TurreSteve Turre is a trombonist, recording artist, arranger, and educator. In 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2006 he won the Down Beat Reader's Poll for best trombonist....
: Viewpoints and Vibrations (Stash)