Tony Hymas Biography

• Chorister, Exeter Cathedral
• Studied piano with Harold Rubens at the Royal Academy of Music

• Don Brown Quintet and Group Sounds Five (with Henry Lowther,  Lyn Dobson and Harry Miller)
• Pianist and composer for the Ballet Rambert

• Pianist for Cleo Laine & John Dankworth (1973/4)
• 'Krark' album with Stan Sulzmann (1976)
• Jack Bruce Band, album and tour (1976)
• Jeff Beck and Stanley Clarke (Japan 1978) 'led to a long association with Jeff. Albums and tours included:

  • There and Back (1980)
  • Guitar Shop (1989) (Grammy Award winner 1990)
  • Who Else (1998)
• PHD with Jim Diamond - 'I won't let you down' (1982)
• Start of the connection with Jean Rochard - Chantenay 1984
• Tony Coe Trio with Chris Laurence (1984)
• Performances of Mossolov, Tippett, Ligeti Trio, Prokofiev etc.
• 'Oyate' album and performances with American Indian artists, dancers and poets (John Trudell and Jim Pepper) and European musicians. 'Le projet le plus fou de l'annee'. (Liberation - 1990)
• 'A Winter's Tale' album with Jean Francois Jenny-Clark and Jacques Thollot (1992)
• Formed 'The Lonely Bears' with Tony Coe, Hughie Burns and Terry Bozzio (1991-4)
• 1993 2 albums w Barney Bush - Left for Dead &
• Remake of the American Dream
• Symphony in A flat (1995)
• 1996 For All the Saints - trio with Stan Sulzmann and Paul Clarvis. Album of same name for Village Life. Also 'Bubbling Under' with trio and Sonia Slany 4tet Solid Strings
• '8 Day Journal' composed for US musician Sam Rivers and ensemble (Premier at Sons d'Hiver) Later  albums include 'Winter Garden' (1998)
• 'Minneapolis' 'We Insist' and 'Birdwatcher' albums and performances with Michel Portal, Sonny Thompson and Michael Bland, Erik Fratzke, JT Bates, Tony Malaby and Airto Moreira.
• 'Hope Street MN' performances and album recorded with Eric Gravatt and Billy Peterson. (March 2002)
• Formed 'Ursus Minor' beginning of 2003 with Francois Corneloup, Jef Lee Johnson and David King.  2 concerts in Paris at Festival 'Sons d'Hiver' Guests included Ada Dyer , M1 and Umi from Dead Prez, Spike and D from Fr grp Kabal and Jeff Beck. D King leaves (2004- commitments to The Bad Plus) - Stokley Williams joins May 2005. Lot happening in 2009 details tbc.
• Trio with Bruno Chevillon and JT Bates (met playing for M Portal on gig Mar '07) - combining elements of 'classic' pno trio and electronics - 1st gig (L'Ermitage - Menilmontant Nov '07).

• rec w Airto - see gig in Szombathely (June '08)
• CD of piano music of Debussy and Satie - an assortment of pieces in chronological order tracing developement and friendship of the two composers. Disques Nato.
• Recent commissions include a String Quartet (2005) and the song cycle '7 ArtSongs' written for mezzo Monica Brett-Crowther - perf at Hayward Gallery Oct 07

• recent perfs in MSP (USA) inc Debussy Etudes - Trio w B.Chevillon & JT.Bates - Ursus Minor with La Rumeur.
• Ph.D.  'three' CD - Jim Diamond and TH - out on Voiceprint Records - new songs