Eddie Higgins

Eddie Higgins (* as Edward Haydn Higgins on February 21, 1932 in Cambridge, Massachusetts; † August 31, 2009 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida ) was an American jazz pianist of modern jazz.

Life and work

As a child, Eddie Higgins got piano lessons from his mother and then studied music at the University. In the early 1950s he worked in Chicago clubs such as London House. During this time he also had their own smaller formations. In 1956, he worked at Sandy Mosse, 1958 at Cy Touff, 1960 at Lee Morgan. In 1962 he accompanied Wayne Shorter on his early album Wayning moment.

In 1966, he founded the record label Dunwhich Records. He was known primarily as a soloist; but he took on several albums with his own bands, in which, inter alia, Ray Drummond, Milt Hinton, Kevin Eubanks and Rufus Reid participated as a companion. In addition, Higgins 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 end of August 2009, 77 -year-old.

Higgins ' piano style was based heavily on Hank Jones. His later musical style was more like mainstream jazz and hard bop and swing ranged with references to Brazilian music of Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Auswahldiskographie

As a leader

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: Lee Indestructible ( 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 Assignement ( Argo / Fresh Sound, 1958)