Hailing from Memphis, TN, William (Bill) Hurd has been nurtured by, and also has contributed to, the city’s rich musical culture and heritage. While practicing ophthalmology there for more than 30 years, Bill has earned acclaim as an artist of the highest caliber, not only locally, but also nationally and internationally.
In graduate school at MIT in Boston, Bill performed with the MIT Jazz Ensemble, directed by Berklee School of Music’s Herb Pomeroy, at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. More recently, Bill has performed with Bobby Bland, Mulgrew Miller, Kirk Whalum, Ruby Wilson, and has opened for Joe Sample, David Sanborn, Najee, and Oleta Adams.
Charles Curl, Atlanta-born, has had a life-long love for writing songs and creating music. A multi-instrumentalist, he has played reeds, keyboards, and percussion in a variety of groups over the years, including with master percussionist Jumma Santos, Latin band Cisco, and the Paul Champ Quartet featuring Paul Broadnax.
Charles’ studio experience spans recording and producing analog LPs in a commercial recording studio in the 60’s to recording in a multi-track digital studio environment, with sequencing, sampling, editing, and mastering software–tools used extensively in today’s music production process. As a co-producer, Charles has collaborated with John Lee (a former Dizzy Gillespie bassist), and with poet Peter H. Fulton (author of “How to Carve an Angel”). He is now retired from a career as an international business consultant, after first having practiced law in Atlanta.
Bill Hurd and Charles Curl have been making music together since they met while in graduate schools in the Boston area in the early 1970’s—Bill at MIT and Charles at Harvard Law. They have previously recorded and released: Magic Music under the group name, Synthesis, in 1991 (TRC Records); and Tongo under the name, Hip Pocket, in 1997 (TRC Records).
Return of the Hip is a third CD collaboration featuring the musical artistry of saxophonist Bill Hurd, and long-time friend and fellow musician, Charles Curl. Their Synthesis is a signature sound–always Hip, in the Pocket; smooth, but with a little grit. Now available at CDBaby.