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Bill Hardman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

William Franklin Hardman Jr. (April 6, 1933 – December 6, 1990) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist who chiefly played hard bop. He was married to Roseline, and together they had a daughter named Nadege.[1]

Career

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Hardman was born and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio,[2] and worked with local players including Bobby Few and Bob Cunningham; while in high school he appeared with Tadd Dameron, and after graduation he joined Tiny Bradshaw's band.[2] Hardman's first recording was with Jackie McLean in 1956; he later played with Charles Mingus, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Horace Silver, and Lou Donaldson, and led a group with Junior Cook.[2] Hardman also recorded as a leader: Saying Something on the Savoy label received critical acclaim in jazz circles,[citation needed] but was little known to the general public. He had three periods in as many decades with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers;[2] Hardman's misfortune was not to be with the Messengers at the time of their popular Blue Note recordings. Blakey occasionally featured him playing several extended choruses unaccompanied.

He died in Paris, France, of a brain hemorrhage, aged 57.[1][3]

Playing style and legacy

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A hard bop player noted for technical proficiency, precise articulation, and a direct tone, Hardman later incorporated elements of a fuller, more extroverted romantic style into his playing compared to Clifford Brown – a direction he would take increasingly throughout the late-1960s and 1970s. He figures by and large among the top ranks of hardbop titans of the time,[citation needed] although he never managed a commercial breakthrough like many of his colleagues such as Donald Byrd, Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan.

Discography

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As leader

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With Brass Company

As sideman

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With Art Blakey

With Lou Donaldson

With Charles Earland

With Curtis Fuller

With Jackie McLean

With others

References

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  1. 1 2 Peter Watrous (December 8, 1990). "Bill Hardman, 57, Trumpeter Known For Improvisations". The New York Times. p. 1 31. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1082. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  3. ↑ "SHORT TAKES : Jazz Trumpeter Hardman Dies". Los Angeles Times. December 6, 1990. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Colors – Bill Hardman | User Reviews". AllMusic. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
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