Trio 1

Hampton Hawes | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 1, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ojc
• ASIN: B000000YHQ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #118,561 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

West Coast jazz of the 1950s was known for "cool school" textures and less rhythmic drive than its East Coast counterpart, but Hampton Hawes represented a different side of California jazz, playing intense hard bop with as much focused energy as any resident New Yorker. This 1955 recording was the first and the most potent of Hawes's series of trio recordings with Red Mitchell on bass and Chuck Thompson on drums, revealing the pianist as one of the finest musicians working in the bop idiom. He could reel off choruses of flying single-note lines with technique and invention that would rival Bud Powell's, or switch to extended passages in forceful block chords. Hawes is equally at home here on standards, ballads, and his original bop blues tunes, pushing harmonic extension to the limits. In the process, he develops a personal weave of joy and passion that represents one of the high points of jazz piano in the era. --Stuart Broomer

Product Description

Japanese limited edition issue of the album classic in a deluxe, miniaturized LP sleeve replica of the original vinyl album artwork. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars On fire..., November 24, 2004

By 

ElKabong (Twin Cities, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Trio 1 (Audio CD)

Ironically, the Hawes Trio, Vol. 1 was probably Hamp's finest hour. I can only speculate that ongoing problems with addiction contributed to his less lucid subsequent offerings.

Nevertheless, this tour de force rivals any 'bop record EVER. From the blistering bridge on the head of "I Got Rhythm", it is as plain as day that Hawes won't be taking prisoners. His extremely lyrical linear invention and pugilistic articulation forces the listener to pay attention. Long, perfectly executed doubled-up lines on tunes like "Blues the Most", are melodic models for players almost 50 years later. The hard-edged relentless swing of "What is This Thing Called Love" defines the term "pocket."

While Hawes didn't possess Peterson-esque technique (few did), he was completely comfortable with other devices such as block chords and rhapsodic ballad renderings. In fairness, while Oscar could cut nearly everyone in the chops dept., he was NOT a bebop player.

Yes, there were Bud, Tommy Flanagan, Red Garland, Wynton, Horace, Sonny Clark, and a host of others. All favorites, all splendid. But on this record, Hamp had the floor. And it's indeed fortunate that the studio withstood the heat.

Burnin'.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great record, October 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Trio 1 (Audio CD)

Hampton Hawes is a great player. I think this is my favorite record of his. "Volume One" was casually recorded in one night (starting at midnight) in the Los Angeles Police Academy's gym/auditorium. The songs are great, the solos are great. It's relaxed when it's slow and it's relaxed when it's lightning fast. You can sense the excitement and happiness in the players, like some friends got together, stayed up late, and made a great record.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Jazz Trio, December 12, 2008

By 

J. Rich - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Trio 1 (Audio CD)

Hampton Hawes is one of my favorite bebop pianists. He can swing with the best of them: Oscar Peterson, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, etc., but ultimately, Hawes' place in the jazz history books is overshadowed by these great players as is Elmo Hope's, another great player in the Bud Powell tradition that paved his own way. "Trio, Vol. 1" features Red Mitchell on bass and Chuck Thompson on bass. This trio swings hard and if you liked any of the jazz pianists I mentioned, then you should definitely check out Hawes' music, especially all volumes of this series.