Hampton Hawes

Who was Hampton Hawes?

Hampton Barnett Hawes, Jr. was an American bebop and hard-bop jazz pianist, recognized as one of the finest and most influential of the 1950s. He was also the author of what is now a classic jazz memoir, Raise Up Off Me, which won the Deems-Taylor Award for music writing in 1975, and continues to be read by jazz enthusiasts. A passageway at the new San Francisco Jazz Center is named "Raise Up Off Me Alley", after the book.