Eddie Durham Tribute — Live at Texas Music Museum

A Texas jazz story

Born in San Marcos, Texas, Eddie Durham (1906–1987) was a pioneering guitarist, trombonist, composer, and arranger whose influence helped shape the sound of swing and modern jazz. He is widely credited as one of the first musicians to record an electrically amplified guitar solo, and his arranging work helped define the sound of major bands including Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, and Glenn Miller.

Durham’s legacy is deeply woven into Texas music history. His compositions and arrangements — including “Topsy,” “Moten Swing,” and “I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire” — remain central to the jazz tradition, while his innovations in riff-based arranging and guitar performance continue to resonate through American music.

This tribute placed Durham where he belongs: at the center of a living Texas story.

About Double Vision Jazz Ensemble

Double Vision Jazz Ensemble is a contemporary jazz quartet co-led by composers and improvisers Hank Hehmsoth (piano) and John Mills (saxophone and flute). Rooted in a musical relationship that stretches back roughly half a century, Hehmsoth and Mills bring a rare depth of shared language to the stage.

Blending original composition, modern swing, groove-driven improvisation, and interdisciplinary collaboration, Double Vision presents jazz as both a living tradition and an evolving art form. The ensemble performs original works alongside selections from the modern jazz canon, creating programs that are sophisticated, emotionally resonant, and accessible to diverse audiences.

Through performance, lecture-performance, and community-based programming, Double Vision connects music with visual art, creative writing, reflective listening, and Texas cultural history.

Why this program was special

The Eddie Durham Tribute brought together live jazz performance, Texas music history, museum storytelling, and community memory in one intimate setting.

The program included:

• live jazz performance

• Texas jazz history

• a museum setting surrounded by archival displays

• remarks by Texas author, poet, and jazz historian Dave Oliphant

• special guest artists

• a full house and face-to-face audience experience

• a distinctive Austin perspective on American music

For local audiences and visitors alike, the event offered a close-up encounter with one of Texas jazz’s foundational figures and placed Eddie Durham’s legacy in an active, living performance context.

Special Guests

Double Vision Jazz Ensemble performing inside Texas Music Museum, surrounded by archival displays and Texas music history.

Dave Oliphant — speaker

Dave Oliphant is a distinguished Texas author, poet, publisher, and jazz historian whose work has helped document and interpret the state’s literary and musical traditions. A longtime chronicler of Texas jazz, Oliphant has written extensively about the musicians, communities, and cultural histories that shaped the music in Texas. For this tribute, he will offer brief remarks on Eddie Durham’s significance as a San Marcos-born innovator and major figure in Texas jazz history.

Andre Hayward — trombone

Andre Hayward is one of the most acclaimed trombonists to emerge from Texas jazz, known for a sound and clarity often compared to the late J.J. Johnson. Born in Houston, he has performed and recorded with Roy Hargrove, Betty Carter, Joe Williams, Slide Hampton, Mingus Dynasty Big Band, Gerald Wilson, Jimmy Heath, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, San Francisco Jazz Collective, and Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. He was the first-place winner of the 2003 International Thelonious Monk Trombone Competition and is also an esteemed educator. He currently serves as Jazz Trombone Professor at Huston-Tillotson University.

Tommy Howard — guitar

Tommy Howard is a veteran of the Austin music scene and an in-demand jazz guitarist, known for his work with Church On Monday, Elias Haslanger, and many leading Austin jazz projects. A regular presence at venues such as Monks Jazz Club and The Loren Hotel, Howard brings deep experience, stylistic flexibility, and a strong command of modern and straight-ahead jazz guitar traditions.

James Fenner — percussion

James Fenner is a highly regarded Austin percussionist known for his work with Extreme Heat, Vaguely Familiar, TripTrio, and Freedonia. A veteran performer with strong roots in funk, soul, groove, and improvisational music, Fenner has appeared at iconic Austin venues including Saxon Pub and Antone’s. His presence adds rhythmic color and a distinctly Austin sense of groove to this program.

Event Details

Status: Completed / archived event

Eddie Durham Tribute featuring Double Vision Jazz Ensemble
Sunday, June 21, 2026
7:00 PM
Texas Music Museum
1009 E 11th St, Austin, TX 78702

Presented by:
H Project Performing Arts Association (HPPAA)

Special Guests:
Dave Oliphant — speaker
Andre Hayward — trombone
Tommy Howard — guitar
James Fenner — percussion

Program highlights

The program featured Eddie Durham originals, related repertoire, contemporary Double Vision compositions, and new arrangements created for this ensemble and guest lineup.

Program elements included:

• “I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire” — arranged by Hank Hehmsoth and featuring Andre Hayward

• “Countless Blues” — featuring Tommy Howard

• “Caribbean Jam” — arranged by Hank Hehmsoth and featuring James Fenner

• “Topsy / Teo” — Hank Hehmsoth’s arrangement connecting Durham’s “Topsy” with Thelonious Monk’s “Teo”

• “Moten Swing” — arranged by John Mills

• Double Vision originals by Hank Hehmsoth and John Mills connecting Durham’s legacy to contemporary jazz writing

The complete performance and Dave Oliphant’s remarks are available in the YouTube playlist linked above.

This project was supported in part by an Elevate Grant of Austin Arts, Culture, Music, & Entertainment.