BIO
Known in Kansas City as one of the area’s most versatile musicians, Wayne Hawkins excels as both keyboardist and composer. His discography includes over 20 CDs in which he has recorded with a variety of artists as well as his critically acclaimed Wayne Hawkins Trio. Hawkins plays in a variety of styles; from small group jazz to concerts with the Kansas City Symphony. But no matter what type of performance, his musicianship shines. In fact, after playing ‘Autumn Leaves’ with the Symphony one music reviewer wrote: “[Hawkins’] superb keyboard solo was probably the most talked about performance of the evening.” –Jazz Ambassador Magazine.
Hawkins is a first-call keyboardist in Kansas City and has performed with national touring acts such as Bernadette Peters, George Benson, Patti Austin, Diane Schuur, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Joe Piscopo, 2-time Grammy winner, Paquito D’Rivera, and film composers Marvin Hamlisch and Bill Conti. Hawkins performs in many styles with equal aplomb because to him, music has no limitations. “Making music is what I do,” he says. “I try to understand all of the parameters and use them.”
He has been a fulltime musician for over two decades and performs nightly in Kansas City. The Wayne Hawkins Trio accompanies singer Stephanie Laws every weekend at Benton’s Steak & Chop House in the Westin Crown Center. Also, as leader of The Latin Project, Hawkins performs Brazilian jazz weekly at Em Chamas Brazilian Steakhouse. As a sideman, Hawkins has played for about 14 years with the Doug Talley Quartet and has written several original jazz and film compositions for that band. Hawkins is the featured pianist with the eclectic jazz band Bowdog, led by Bob Bowman. Hawkins has also played internationally with the City Light Orchestra, and has performed solo concerts in both Germany and Italy. Nationally, he has performed in the Spokane (Washington) Jazz Festival, at the Dallas Museum of Art, the Joslyn Art Museum, the Tumbleweed Festival in Garden City, the Coleman Hawkins Legacy Jazz Festival, the Lake Tahoe Golf Classic, most recently with Megan Birdsall at the Corporate Woods Jazz Festival as well as many other jazz festivals throughout the country.
Hawkins began studying piano at the age of six. A graduate of Wyandotte High School, he enrolled at Kansas City Kansas Community College, joined the jazz ensemble and played in rock bands around the metropolitan area. Encouraged by winning several performance awards in collegiate jazz festivals, he transferred to the University of Miami in Florida to study jazz and studio music. Because of his own positive academic experiences, Hawkins enjoys teaching jazz piano. He is currently on the jazz faculty at the University of Kansas, where he teaches jazz piano, jazz improvisation, and coaches small jazz ensembles. In addition, he judges student bands in regional competitions, works with other young jazz musicians as a guest artist, and coaches jazz camps.
“I feel blessed,” Hawkins says, “that I love what I do for a living and that I make a living doing it.”