Bill Hardman

Bill Hardman was a crisp trumpeter with the brashness and elan of the bebop and hard bop ethos, colored also by a lyrical and even romantic aspect in his tone.  While perhaps not achieving tremendous fame, he was a valued figure in our jazz scene of his time.

Bill Hardman was born in 1932 (or 33 depending on the source) and raised in Cleveland, where he came up with musicians such as Tadd Dameron.

After early professional experience, Hardman moved to New York and fit right in with Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop.  He also was in a band with his Mingus-mate Jackie McLean.  In late 1956, Hardman [and McLean] joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, and their edition of the Messengers, sometimes overshadowed in our lore, made numerous recordings through 1957 enshrining the developing hard bop sound.

Hardman plied his trade in the 1960's, with notable associations as a member of Lou Donaldson’s groups, and on various occasions he rejoined later incarnations of the Jazz Messengers.

In the late 1970's and 1980's Bill was a key figure in the hard bop New York scene, often in a regular working group teamed with tenor saxophonist Junior Cook.

In the late 1980's Hardman moved to France and was settling in with his family, but tragically he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died in December 1990.

originally broadcast February 16, 2025

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