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
• 1972 First 'media' venture  - wrote original Mr Men theme

• Pianist for Cleo Laine & John Dankworth (1973/4)
• Joined Alan Hacker's group 'Matrix' - subsequently pianist for Jane Manning (soprano) in 20C rep
• Accompanied Frank Sinatra at RAH (1975)
• 'Krark' album with Stan Sulzmann (1976)
• First of many albums for KPM Library (1977)
• Jack Bruce Band, album and tour (1976)
• Jeff Beck and Stanley Clarke (Japan 1978) led to a long association with Jeff. Albums included:

  • There and Back (1980) Guitar Shop (1989) Who Else (1998)
    Bootleg Album (2003)
  • many tunes for Jeff inc La Veronese (aka 'Angel Footsteps). Les Evades de la Nuit (orig for Toni Marshall film -  aka 'Brush with the Blues') The Pump (w Simon Phillips)
• 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)
• Radio 3 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) (KPM)
• 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. JLJ leaves 2008 and Mike Scott (q.v.) joins. Lot happening with this band 2010 - 2011
• 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 - duo gig in Szombathely (June '08)
• CD of piano music of Debussy and Satie - an assortment of pieces in chronological order tracing developement, friendship and rivalry of the two composers. Disques Nato.

• 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
• 2010  'De L'Origine du monde' (Disque de l'annee in Le Monde)
• 2010  Ursus Minor 'I will not take "but" for an answer'
• 2011  Hymas and The Bates Brothers  'Blue Door'