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)Tony Coe Trio with Chris Laurence (1984)
• 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
• 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 (ex Prince NPG), Erik Fratzke, JT Bates, Tony Malaby and Airto Moreira. Meets with Jef Lee on one of these gigs.
• '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 and on we go. Lot happening in 2008 details tbc.
• Trio with Bruno Chevillon and JT Bates (met playing for M Portal on gig Mar '07) - combining elements of er '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. Just issued ( Oct 07) on 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 avec La Rumeur - on consecutive nights