Elmo Hope facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Elmo Hope
Background information
Birth name	St. Elmo Sylvester Hope
Born	June 27, 1923 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	May 19, 1967(1967-05-19) (aged 43) New York City, New York
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer, arranger
Instruments	Piano
Years active	1940s–66
Associated acts	Bertha Hope, Harold Land, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell

St. Elmo Sylvester Hope (born June 27, 1923 – died May 19, 1967) was a talented American jazz pianist and composer. He was known for his unique style in bebop and hard bop jazz.

Elmo grew up loving both jazz and classical music. He was close friends with other famous pianists, Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk. Even though he faced challenges, Elmo became a successful musician in New York.

In the 1950s, he recorded music with rising stars like Clifford Brown and John Coltrane. He later moved to Los Angeles for a few years. Elmo's music was complex and special. Today, he is still remembered for his original playing and compositions.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Elmo Hope was born in New York City on June 27, 1923. His parents, Simon and Gertrude Hope, came from the Caribbean. Elmo started playing the piano when he was seven years old.

He took classical music lessons as a child. He even won piano contests starting in 1938. His childhood friend, Bud Powell, also became a famous pianist. They often played and listened to music together.

Elmo went to Benjamin Franklin High School. This school was known for its great music program. Elmo became very good at understanding music harmony. He wrote both jazz and classical pieces in school.

When he was 17, Elmo had a difficult experience. He was injured and needed time to recover. He did not return to school after this. Instead, he played piano in different places around the city.

In 1942, Elmo and Bud Powell met another pianist, Thelonious Monk. The three young musicians spent a lot of time together. In 1943, Elmo joined the U.S. Army as a private. He served during World War II.

Later Life and Career

Playing in New York – 1947–56

After leaving the army, Elmo Hope mostly played in rhythm and blues bands. He joined trumpeter Eddie Robinson's group in 1947. He also played with Snub Mosley. From 1948 to 1951, Elmo played with the Joe Morris band. They toured all over the United States and made several recordings.

Elmo met other jazz musicians in Morris's band. One of them was saxophonist Johnny Griffin. Griffin remembered how they would practice together in New York. They would go to Monk's house or Elmo's house to play music. Elmo often helped explain harmonies to others.

In June 1953, Elmo recorded with a group led by Clifford Brown and Lou Donaldson. Some music experts believe these songs helped start a new jazz style called 'hard bop'. This recording also helped Elmo get noticed by Blue Note Records.

About a week later, Elmo recorded his first album as a leader. It was called Elmo Hope Trio. He played with Percy Heath on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. This album showed that Elmo cared about the overall sound of the music. He focused on how the pieces were built.

In August 1954, Elmo played piano for a Prestige Records session. This session was led by saxophonist Sonny Rollins. It was released as Moving Out. Elmo signed with Prestige in 1955. He recorded the album Meditations for them.

The next year, he recorded Informal Jazz with a sextet. This group included famous musicians like Donald Byrd and John Coltrane. Some people think that playing with such big stars might have made it harder for Elmo to stand out.

In January 1956, Elmo recorded with Jackie McLean for the album Lights Out!. Later that year, Elmo faced health issues. He was not allowed to play in clubs in New York City anymore.

Moving to Los Angeles – 1957–61

In 1957, Elmo Hope toured with trumpeter Chet Baker. Then, he moved to Los Angeles. He found other musicians there who loved bebop jazz. These included saxophonist Harold Land and bassist Curtis Counce.

Elmo played with Sonny Rollins again. In October 1957, he recorded a session called The Elmo Hope Quintet Featuring Harold Land. This recording was not released until 1962. In March 1958, Elmo joined Counce's band. He recorded two albums with them.

Elmo also arranged music for other artists, like Harold Land's 1958 album Harold in the Land of Jazz. Elmo had his own band with different musicians. In 1959, he played with Lionel Hampton in Hollywood.

Later in 1959, Elmo played with Harold Land's group in San Francisco and Vancouver. Back in Los Angeles in August 1959, Elmo played piano for Land's album The Fox. He also wrote four songs for the album.

Jazz historian David Rosenthal said these recordings showed Elmo's musical growth. The album Elmo Hope Trio from the same year received a rare five-star review. Down Beat magazine praised his "bitter-sweet melancholy" style.

In 1960, Elmo married pianist Bertha Rosemond, known as Bertha Hope. He met her in California. Elmo found life as a jazz musician on the West Coast frustrating. In an interview, he said there weren't enough good musicians or job opportunities. He also disliked the popular "soul jazz" style.

Elmo left Los Angeles in 1961. His wife said he had offers to record on the East Coast. They both preferred New York. So, they moved back with their baby daughter.

Return to New York – 1961–67

In June 1961, Elmo Hope joined Philly Joe Jones's group. His old friend, Monk, helped them get their first shows. Monk also arranged a recording session for Riverside Records that month. Elmo was the leader for this session.

Elmo recorded four albums in New York around 1961. One was Hope-Full. This album had his only solo piano songs. It also featured some piano duets with his wife, Bertha.

Some of the album titles from this time were unusual. One was High Hope! (1961). Another was Sounds from Rikers Island (1963), named after a New York City jail. These albums did not help Elmo become more widely known.

Elmo played with Jackie McLean again in late 1962. He also led his own piano trio. In 1963, his trio included Ray Kenney on bass and Lex Humphries on drums. In 1964, it had John Ore on bass and Billy Higgins on drums.

In 1965, Elmo continued to lead his trio and quartet in New York. However, his health problems meant he played less often. His last recordings were made in 1966. They were not released until 11 years later.

Elmo's final concert was at Judson Hall in New York City in 1966. Fellow pianist Horace Tapscott later said Elmo's hands were too damaged to play. Elmo was hospitalized with pneumonia in 1967. He died a few weeks later, on May 19, from heart failure. He was 43 years old. His wife, Bertha, was 31. They had three children, and their daughter, Monica Hope, became a singer.

Elmo Hope's Unique Style

Elmo Hope's piano playing was deeply rooted in the blues. He used harmonies that sometimes sounded a bit clashing. He also played with sharp, contrasting musical lines.

Music expert David Rosenthal described Elmo's playing as having "somber, internally shifting chords." He also noted "punchy, twisting phrases" and a strong, burning feeling. Elmo's timing was unpredictable. His notes would fall slightly before or after the beat, not always exactly on it.

He also changed the loudness of his playing in unexpected ways. A reviewer for Billboard described his touch as "spidery" and "spacy." They said his music was "intricate in design and almost eerie in execution."

Stuart Broomer, a critic for Coda, also commented on Elmo's light and unusual touch. He felt it created a mix of softness and boldness that was all his own. Music experts Leonard Feather and Ira Gitler said Elmo had a style similar to Bud Powell's. They called him a pianist and composer with "rare harmonic acuity and very personal interpretation."

Compositions

The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz says Elmo Hope wrote about 75 pieces of music. These songs ranged from very complex to calm and romantic. For example, his song "Minor Bertha" has an unusual structure. It uses different rhythms and harmonies that make it unique. Other songs like "One Down" and "Tranquility" also show his special creativity.

The Penguin Jazz Guide noted that Elmo's songs were very melodic. Some even used ideas from classical music, like fugue and canon. But they always kept their blues roots.

Elmo wrote very structured and complex songs. Yet, he played them with a lot of freedom and improvisation. Even though his compositions were original, other musicians rarely played them. This is because they were so tied to Elmo's unique style and were difficult to perform.

Legacy and Influence

Elmo Hope, Bud Powell, and Thelonious Monk influenced each other early in their careers. They all helped shape how jazz piano developed. Bud Powell was known for playing horn-like melodies with his right hand. He worked on this style with Elmo.

Later pianists who said Elmo Hope influenced them include Lafayette Gilchrist and Alexander Hawkins. Hawkins said in 2013 that Elmo was important because he had a very individual style. But he didn't become as famous as pianists like Monk. Modern jazz guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel has also mentioned Elmo's rhythms and compositions as influences.

Bertha Hope, Elmo's wife, has released albums featuring his compositions. In 1999, she and her later husband, bassist Walter Booker, formed a band called "Elmollenium." They played Elmo's songs. Bertha had to listen to recordings to recreate his music. This was because a fire destroyed most of his original written music.

In September 2016, a street in the Bronx was named "Elmo Hope Way – Jazz Pioneer." This honored the pianist.

Many music critics believe Elmo Hope's career should be looked at again. Chuck Berg wrote in 1980 that Elmo's unique style was often overlooked. He said Elmo's approach was more thoughtful and less aggressive than what was popular. Berg suggested that since jazz has become more open-minded, Elmo's music should be re-evaluated.

In 1987, Robert Palmer wrote about Elmo and another pianist, Herbie Nichols. He said they were "practically categorized out of existence." They were seen as less important, even though they were very creative and original. Palmer noted that Nichols was starting to get recognition, but Hope was still neglected.

In 2010, The Penguin Jazz Guide said that Elmo's work is "only now being properly studied and appreciated." Tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin called Elmo Hope "the real genius of the piano."

Discography

As leader

As sideman

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