Milt Hinton

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Milt Hinton

Courtesy the Fraser MacPherson estate
Background information
Birth name Milton John Hilton
Born (1910-06-23)June 23, 1910
Vicksburg, Mississippi, United States
Died December 19, 2000(2000-12-19) (aged 90)
Queens, New York, United States
Genres Traditional Jazz. Swing, Pop Music
Occupations Double bassist, Photographer
Instruments Double bass
Years active 80 years
Labels Various
Associated acts Jabbo Smith, Zutty Singleton, Art Tatum, Eddie South, Cab Calloway, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Benny Goodman, Clark Terry, Hank Jones, Branford Marsalis
Website http://www.milthinton.com/

Milton John "Milt" Hinton (June 23, 1910 – December 19, 2000), "the dean of jazz bass players," was an American jazz double bassist and photographer. He was nicknamed "The Judge".[1]

Biography

Hinton was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, where he resided until age eleven when he moved to Chicago, Illinois. He attended Wendell Phillips High School and Crane Junior College. While attending these schools, he learned first to play the violin, and later bass horn, tuba, cello and the double bass. As a young violinist out of school, he found gainful employment as a bassist. He later recounted in interviews, released in 1990 on Old Man Time, how this prompted him to switch to double bass.

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, he worked as a freelance musician in Chicago. During this time, he worked with famous jazz musicians such as Jabbo Smith, Eddie South, and Art Tatum. In 1936, he joined a band led by Cab Calloway. Members of this band included Chu Berry, Cozy Cole, Dizzy Gillespie, Illinois Jacquet, Jonah Jones, Ike Quebec, Ben Webster, and Danny Barker.

Hinton possessed a formidable technique and was equally adept at bowing, pizzicato, and "slapping," a technique for which he became famous while playing with the big band of Cab Calloway from 1936 to 1951.[1] Unusually for a double bass player, Hinton was frequently given the spotlight by Calloway, taking virtuose bass solos in tunes like "Pluckin' the Bass."

As well as being a famous Jazz musician, Hinton at the same time, worked as a studio musician. he was part of a large group of studio musicians who played on dozens of hit records written by songwriters who worked at the Brill Building. he was responsible for the opening bass line on The Drifters "Under the Boardwalk" as well as playing on dozens of hits recorded by Neil Sedaka and many others.

Hinton played a rare Gofriller Double Bass during his latter career. The bass was in pieces in a cellar in Italy and a musical agent arranged the purchase from the family for Hinton. Hinton in his autobiography Bass Line described the tone as magnificent and said it was one of the reasons for his long success in the New York recording studios in the 1950s, and 1960s.

He later became a television staff musician, working regularly on shows by Jackie Gleason and later Dick Cavett.[1] His work can be heard on the Branford Marsalis album Trio Jeepy.

Hinton twice received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts for his work as a jazz educator: a music fellowship in 1977 and an NEA Jazz Master award in 1993.[2]

According to a search of The Jazz Discography, Hinton is the most-recorded jazz musician of all time, having appeared on 1,174 recording sessions.[3][4]

Also a fine photographer, Hinton documented many of the great jazz musicians via photographs he took over the course of his career.[5] Hinton was one of the best friends of jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong.[citation needed]

Hinton died in Queens, New York City, New York at age 90.

Discography

As leader

  • 1955: Milt Hinton Bethlehem High Fidelity
  • 1955: Basses Loaded
  • 1955: Milt Hinton Quartet Bethlehem High Fidelity
  • 1956 : The Rhythm Section Epic
  • 1975: Here Swings the Judge Progressive
  • 1977: The Trio (Chiaroscuro Records)
  • 1984: Back to Bass-ics Progressive
  • 1984: The Judge's Decision Exposure
  • 1990: Old Man Time Chiaroscuro
  • 1994: The Trio: 1994 Chiaroscuro
  • 1994: Laughing at Life

As sideman

With John Benson Brooks

With Kenny Burrell

With Curtis Fuller

With Lionel Hampton

With Langston Hughes

With Milt Jackson

With Willis Jackson

With Elvin Jones

With Mundell Lowe

With Johnny Lytle

With Helen Merrill

With Charles Mingus

With Ike Quebec

With Sonny Stitt

With Ralph Sutton and Ruby Braff

With Sylvia Syms

With Clark Terry

With Ben Webster

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Keepnews, Peter (December 21, 2000). "Milt Hinton, Dean of Jazz Bassists, Is Dead at 90". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-10-08. 
  2. ↑ "Milt Hinton: NEA Jazz Master and Master Photographer of Jazz". Retrieved 2008-10-08. 
  3. ↑ Lord, Tom. "The Jazz Discography". 
  4. ↑ Eds. (November 12, 2008). "Milt Hinton: The Ultimate Timekeeper". JAZZ PROFILES. NPR. Retrieved 2012-08-23. 
  5. ↑ "Milt Hinton Photographs of Jazz Artists". Retrieved 2008-10-08. 

External links

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