John Hicks, 64; versatile jazz pianist played with Blakey
WASHINGTON -- John Hicks, a versatile jazz pianist who combined strength and refinement while performing with many leading musicians of his era, died May 10 of internal bleeding at a New York hospital. He was 64.
Mr. Hicks was adept at several forms of jazz, from standards and bebop to the avant-garde. He appeared on hundreds of recordings as a leader or sideman and was comfortable in small groups, in big bands or accompanying singers.
Early in his career, he was a pianist for three demanding musical leaders who helped sculpt his style and broaden his experience. In 1964, soon after arriving in New York, Mr. Hicks joined the Jazz Messengers, a hard-driving quintet led by drummer Art Blakey, a renowned judge of talent. Two years later, Mr. Hicks became the pianist for singer Betty Carter, another leader with uncompromising style. Finally, from 1968 to 1970, he held the piano chair in the big band of Woody Herman.
Since the 1970s, Mr. Hicks had led a series of small groups and appeared with the Mingus Big Band, which performed the music of Charles Mingus. Through the years, he worked with an all-star lineup, including trumpeters Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, and Clark Terry; saxophonists Sonny Rollins, Johnny Griffin, Joe Henderson, and Pharoah Sanders; and singers Jon Hendricks and Carmen McRae.
Mr. Hicks appeared at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center and was a fixture at international music festivals. In recent years, he often performed with his wife, flutist Elise Wood, or with trumpeter Eddie Henderson, and taught at New York University and the New School in New York.
''He was a major, important player who was probably not as well recognized as he should have been," said Rusty Hassan, a DJ at a Washington radio station who knew Mr. Hicks for more than 30 years.
Some of his finest performances came in the final years of his career, when he recorded elegant tribute albums to singer Billie Holiday and musicians Billy Strayhorn, Mary Lou Williams, Sonny Clark, and Erroll Garner.
''He brought musical excellence, a generous heart, and great joy to everything he did," said guitarist Larry Coryell, who tapped Mr. Hicks for several record dates. ''He was able to be a star in a supporting role."
Like many other jazz musicians, John Josephus Hicks Jr. received his early musical training in the church. He was born in Atlanta and moved with his family to Los Angeles and later St. Louis.
''My father was a Methodist minister and my mom was my first piano teacher," he told the Jerusalem Post in January. ''I got great experience playing piano in church. I started playing there as soon as I learned how to read music."
While still in his teens, Mr. Hicks worked with blues artists Albert King and Little Milton. He attended Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and the Berklee School of Music in Boston before becoming the pianist for singer Della Reese. Soon after settling in New York, Mr. Hicks, along with many other musicians of the era, fell under the captivating spell of saxophonist John Coltrane.
''There's a whole generation -- maybe two -- of players who are influenced by Trane," he said in 1997. ''And it's on a spiritual level as well as musical. Trane was our Charlie Parker, and his sense of commitment to the music was awe-inspiring."
In 1999, Mr. Hicks performed on a recording led by Coryell, ''Monk, Trane, Miles, and Me."
''The most touching moment for me was his solo on John Coltrane's 'Naima,' " Coryell recalled this week. ''It is absolutely, unbelievably beautiful. When we finished that performance in the studio, I broke down in tears."
Three days before he died, Mr. Hicks gave a concert at St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Harlem, where his father was once the pastor. The church was the site of his first New York concert in 1963.
His first marriage, to Olympia Hicks, ended in divorce. In addition to Wood, his wife of five years, Mr. Hicks leaves two children from his first marriage; two stepchildren; one brother; two sisters; and a granddaughter.
