Hasaan Ibn Ali
| Hasaan Ibn Ali | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Henry Langford, Jr. |
| Born | May 6, 1931 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | 1980 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | Mid-1940s–? |
| Associated acts | John Coltrane, Elmo Hope, Odean Pope, Max Roach |
Hasaan Ibn Ali (born William Henry Langford, Jr.; May 6, 1931 – 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer.
Ibn Ali was strongly influenced by Elmo Hope, and his playing was rapid and intense, retaining a sense of rhythm even when his style became increasingly unconventional. Several recordings of his playing may exist, but only one – The Max Roach Trio Featuring the Legendary Hasaan – has been released. Ibn Ali built a reputation in Philadelphia, where he influenced musicians including John Coltrane, but he remained little known elsewhere.
Hasaan Ibn Ali was born William Henry Langford, Jr. in Philadelphia on May 6, 1931. In 1946 (aged 15) he toured with trumpeter Joe Morris's rhythm and blues band. In 1950 he played locally with Clifford Brown, Miles Davis, J. J. Johnson, Max Roach, and others. Based in Philadelphia, Ibn Ali did freelance work and built a reputation locally as "an original composer and theorist", in musicologist Lewis Porter's words. The pianist played with Horace Arnold in New York City in 1959, and again in 1961–62, this time in a trio with Henry Grimes. According to Roach, on visits to New York, Ibn Ali went from club to club to play, and sometimes went to the drummer's home in the middle of the night to continue playing, alone, on the piano there.
Ibn Ali remained an obscure figure until his only released recording, The Max Roach Trio Featuring the Legendary Hasaan, which was recorded on December 4 and 7, 1964, and released six months later. The trio contained Roach and bassist Art Davis, and the album consisted of seven tracks, all written by Ibn Ali. The recording opportunity was initiated by Roach, who used his influence with the owner of Atlantic Records to secure the session for Ibn Ali. Alan Sukoenig, in his liner notes to the album, wrote "For a while it appeared that it was Hasaan Ibn Ali's destiny to be known – to those who had heard of him at all – as the extraordinary jazz pianist from Philadelphia who had never made a record." After the album, Ibn Ali returned to obscurity.
...
Wikipedia