Hampton Hawes, Jr. – born in Los Angeles, California on November 13, 1928 - was a jazz pianist best known for his work in the 1950s. He became interested in the piano when he was a toddler and it was reported that he was able to play complex melodies at the age of three. By the time he was in his teens, he was performing with West Coast jazz greats including Art Pepper, Dexter Gordon, Shorty Rogers, and Teddy Edwards. At the age of 18, he was playing alongside Charlie Paker in the Howard McGhee Quintet. After serving in the U.S. Army from 1952 to 1954, he formed the Hampton Hawes Trio with Red Mitchell (bass) and Chuck Thompson (drums) and began playing clubs in and around Los Angeles. Their debut album, Hampton Hawes Trio, was released in 1955. Additional albums by this line-up included This Is Hampton Hawes – Vol. 2: The Trio (1956) and Everybody Likes Hampton Hawes – Vol. 3: The Trio (1956). The original trio morphed into a quintet feature Hampton Hawes and Red Mitchell joined by guitarist Jim Hall and drummer Eldridge Freeman. While the original trio never recorded together again, Hampton Hawes did reunite with Red Mitchell on two new trio albums - The Seance and I’m All Smiles - both recorded in 1966. There were other trio albums that found the pianist joined by various musicians but they didn’t gain the attention that the Hampton Hawes Trio’s albums received in the 1950s. Hampton Hawes died of a brain hemorrhage on May 22, 1977.
