On The Wings Of An Eagle (Remastered) John Hicks, Buster Williams, Louis Hayes

• 1 Minority 06:56
• 2 Fly Little Bird Fly 06:46
• 3 Strivers Jewels 08:08
• 4 Balues-Bolivar-Balues-Are 06:09
• 5 Cheese Cake 08:17
• 6 Dedicated To You 07:14
• 7 Minor Mishap 05:23
• 8 Christina 05:14
• 9 As Birds Fly 07:32
• Total Runtime 01:01:39

Info for On The Wings Of An Eagle (Remastered)

Hicks gained the spotlight working with Art Blakey, Betty Carter and Woody Herman in the 1960s and '70s. He then migrated to avant-garde saxophonists Pharoah Sanders and David Murray before returning to the hard bop sounds of his Keystone Trio (with George Mraz and Idris Muhammad) and Power Trio (with Elvin Jones and Cecil McBee). In the 1990s he could also be found at the keyboard for the weekly gig of the Mingus Big Band. He recorded a string of albums, dedicated to the likes of Mary Lou Williams, Sonny Clark, Errol Garner, Billy Strayhorn, and Earl Hines. None of these tribute discs would be mistaken for the honored player, as Hicks (to his credit) could never play with anything but his beautiful sound.

"This delightful trio recording was made in Chesky’s frequent venue for recordings – NYC’s St. Peter’s Episcopal Church – in March of 2006 and John Hicks passed away in May 2006. He had been appearing with this same trio most of the first years of this new century, but his long career encompassed solos, duos, quartets, and bands such as Woody Herman’s. Hicks also had played in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and accompanied vocalist Betty Carter. The nine tunes here will likely not duplicate tunes in most collections. Probably the most heard would be Sammy Cahn’s Dedicated to You. Some of the jazz greats represented as composers here include Gigi Gryce, Donald Byrd, Dexter Gordon and Tommy Flanagan. A Monk tune always seems to perk up any program, and in midst of this one is a bouncing Balues-Bolivar-Balues-Are. Bassist Williams contributes two tunes: his Strivers Jewels and Christina, and the session closes out with Hick’s own As Bird Fly, which is a tribute to another great pianist, Cedar Walton, and one of the two tunes which seem to tie in with the album title – a last-recording tribute to the great John Hicks." (John Henry, audaud.com)

John Hicks, piano
Buster Williams, bass
Louis Hayes, drums

Digitally remastered

John Hicks
A longtime fixture of the New York City jazz landscape, pianist John Hicks was an artist of uncommon versatility, moving effortlessly from pop standards to the avant-garde while retaining the dense physicality and intense energy that were the hallmarks of his approach. Born December 12, 1941, in Atlanta, Hicks was still an infant when his preacher father relocated the family to Los Angeles. He spent the better part of his teen years in St. Louis, and counted among his classmates there the young Lester Bowie. Hicks’ mother was his first piano teacher, and after a stint at Lincoln University in Missouri he attended the Berklee School of Music and the Juilliard School; he later cited influences spanning from Fats Waller to Thelonious Monk to Methodist church hymns, and his catholic listening tastes were instrumental in shaping his far-ranging skills as a player. After touring in support of bluesman Albert King and hard bop tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin, Hicks backed singer Della Reese during a 1963 New York club residency, and the city remained his home for the rest of his life. In the wake of stints with Kenny Dorham and Joe Henderson, Hicks joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in 1964, collaborating alongside the likes of trumpeters Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard. Two years later, he signed on with singer Betty Carter, like Blakey a keen judge of emerging talent. Upon exiting Carter’s band in 1968, Hicks spent the remainder of the decade with Woody Herman and entered the decade to follow as a first-call sideman. He also moonlighted as an educator, and during the early ’70s taught jazz and improvisation at Southern Illinois University.

After backing Carter on her 1976 date Now It’s My Turn, Hicks returned to her backing group full-time. The exposure vaulted him to new renown, and in 1979 he finally led his own studio effort, After the Morning. With 1981’s Some Other Time, cut with bassist Walter Booker and drummer Idris Muhammad, Hicks also emerged as a gifted composer, writing his best-known effort, “Naima’s Love Song,” in honor of his young daughter. He recorded prolifically in the years to follow, concentrating on solo and small ensemble work including stints as member of the Power Trio and the Keystone Trio. He also served as the regular pianist with the Mingus Dynasty Band and for a time led his own big band. Hicks enjoyed his greatest commercial success with a series of tribute LPs celebrating the music of his mentors and influences, highlighted by 1998’s Something to Live For (a collection of Billy Strayhorn compositions), 2000’s Impressions of Mary Lou (Williams, of course), and 2003’s Fatha’s Day (honoring Earl Hines). Hicks’ longest and most rewarding collaboration was his partnership with flutist Elise Wood, which launched in 1983 and after several studio sessions and tours culminated in marriage in 2001, around the time of the release of their duo recording Beautiful Friendship. Hicks died suddenly on May 10, 2006. Just three days earlier, he delivered his final performance at Harlem’s St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, where his father served as a minister prior to his own death. Hicks was 64 years old. (Jason Ankeny, AMG)

This album contains no booklet.