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Elmo Hope was born St. Elmo Sylvester Hope on June 27, 1923 in New York City, he began his career with the Joe Morris band. From 1953 he recorded in New York as a leader and as a sideman with Sonny Rollins, Lou Donaldson, Clifford Brown and Jackie McLean. Losing his cabaret card in New York for drug use he moved to Los Angeles in 1957. On the West Coast he performed with Chet Baker before moving, followed with a stint with Lionel Hampton, then recorded with Harold Land and Curtis Counce.

Elmo led recording sessions with Frank Foster, John Coltrane, Hank Mobley, Art Blakey, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones. On a number of occasions Hope recorded in the trio format and more rarely as a leader of a quintet for Blue Note, Prestige, Riverside and other labels.

Disillusioned with the West Coast scene, Hope returned to New York in 1961, where he went to prison briefly on drug charges then returned to playing, recording duet albums with his pianist wife Bertha but recorded more rarely. Pianist Elmo Hope died of an overdose on May 19, 1967.

Though overshadowed by his contemporaries Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, with his highly individual playing Hope holds a significant place alongside them, cited by later pianists Frank Hewitt and Sasha Perry, guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel as their main influence, and Roswell Rudd composed “Hope No. 2” in his honor and during a concert with Archie Shepp, called Elmo Hope “ A great and fine composer and remains one of America’s well kept secrets”.

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