HAMPTON HAWES
Genres: Hard Bop, Classic Fusion, RnB, Blues • United States

Hampton Hawes (1928 - 1977) was an African American jazz pianist. Already as a teen, he was playing with well known musicians as Dexter Gordon and Wardell Gray. He was a member of the Howard McGhee band, where he played with Charlie Parker. Recorded with Charles Mingus ("Mingus Three", 1957, Roulette) Hawes led his own trio, with bassist Red Mitchell and drummer Chuck Thompson. In 1958, he was arrested for heroin possession, and served time in jail until 1963, when John F. Kennedy granted him a presidential pardon.  He died of a stroke, only 48 years old.      User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.