For me, Hampton Hawes always sounds better live. For some reason, many of the pianist's studio recordings sound rigid and self-conscious. By contrast, his live performances have a naturalism that lets the music float freely and travel where it wants to go without worrying about takes and time. A joyous live recording by Hawes that I stumbled across recently is a Japanese release called Hampton Hawes: Piano Improvisation.
Recorded in 1968 in Rome and Paris, and originally released on Japan's Joker label in 1977, the album was most recently remastered at Kojima Recordings and re-issued in 2014. Two of the tracks—a 9:18 Autumn Leaves and Fly Me to the Moon—were recorded in Rome on January 25, 1968 and featured Hawes (p), Jimmy Woode (b) and Kenny Clarke (d).
The remaining three—Godchild, Softly As in a Morning Sunrise and a shorter Autumn Leaves—were performed on March 23, 1968 and aired over French RTF radio from the Faculty of Law at the University of Paris. Godchild featured Hawes and Martial Solal playing the George Wallington song as a duo. The remaining two tracks featured Hawes (p) with Gilbert "Bibi" Rovere (b) and Daniel Humair (d).
If you arrange the tracks chronologically in your iTunes folder rather than storing them in the order they appear on the album—the pair of Autumn Leaves function as bookends. Both are excellent and quite different. The Paris version, which ends the recording, is more spry and driven while the first, in Rome, is more reflective and pensive. The two versions are seasonal and showcase Hawes's sensitivity and passion for the song.
The Godchild duet is competitive, while Fly Me to the Moon is lush and Softy is a loping, mid-tempo ballad. The recordings on this album serve as a snapshot of Hawes abroad and exhibit his liberated elegance and hurtling bop attack.
Hampton Hawes died in 1977.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find the tracks above on The Hampton Hawes Trio: Autumn Leaves in Paris (Moon) here.
JazzWax clips: Here's the Rome performance of Autumn Leaves (ignore the date at YouTube)...
And here's the Hawes duet with Martial Solal on Godchild, live in Paris...
