Margie Hyams

Marjorie "Marjie" Hyams (August 9, 1920 – June 14, 2012) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, and arranger. She began her career as a vibraphonist in the 1940s, playing with Woody Herman (from 1944 to 1945), the Hip Chicks (1945), Mary Lou Williams (1946), Charlie Ventura (1946), George Shearing (from 1949 to 1950), and led her own groups, including a trio, which stayed together from 1945 to 1948, performing on 52nd Street in Manhattan. The media, marquees, and promos often spelled her first-name "Margie;" but, she insisted that it was spelled with a "j."

Career


Hyams had her own trio and quartet (1940–1944) and played with Woody Herman (1944–1945) and Flip Phillips in the mid-1940s. She formed another trio with guitarists such as Tal Farlow, Mundell Lowe, and Billy Bauer from 1945 to 1948. She also arranged and sang with Charlie Ventura, and recorded with Mary Lou Williams. Hyams joined George Shearing in (1949–51).

Woody Herman
 * Jack Siefert (Jacob William Siefert; born 1918), a lifelong friend of Woody Herman, introduced Hyams to Herman, who had already broken convention by hiring a female instrumentalist in 1941, Billie Rogers (born 1919). Rogers played trumpet with Herman until 1943.  Hyams is one of Woody's exceptional alumni vibraphonists that included Terry Gibbs, Red Norvo, and Milt Jackson, all of whom, according to jazz author Doug Ramsey, were part of a Who's Who quality of an imaginary line-up that was staggering.

In a sense, you weren't really looked upon as a musician, especially in clubs. There was more interest in what you were going to wear or how your hair was fixed &mdash; they just wanted you to look attractive, ultra feminine, largely because you were doing something they didn't consider feminine. Most of the time I fought it and didn't listen to them. [One of the ways you fought it was insisting on wearing a band uniform instead of a dress.] Only in retrospect, when you start looking back and analyzing, you can see the obstacles that were put in front of you. I just thought at the time that I was too young to handle it, but now I see that it was really rampant chauvinism.

Family
On June 6, 1950, Marjie Hyams married William G. Ericsson (1927–1978)    in Chicago, and, from 1951 to 1970, played, taught, and arranged in Chicago.

Sibling
 * Brother, Mark Hyams (1914–2007) was a jazz pianist who played with big bands, including those of Will Hudson (mid-1930s) and Spud Murphy (late 1930s). Mark married L'ana Webster ( Alleman; 1912–1997), a saxophonist and bandleader who was once married to jazz guitarist Jimmy Webster (James Donart Webster; 1908–1978)