Hank Hehmsoth

Hank Hehmsoth (born September 6, 1952) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and visual artist.¹ He has recorded and performed widely and serves as Professor of Practice in Jazz Studies at Texas State University² and a Senior Fulbright Specialist.³

Hehmsoth was born in San Antonio, Texas. He began learning and performing classical music with his father, a violinist, prior to learning to read English. He was later taught jazz by notable musicians like Bill Evans, Bob Mintzer, and Chick Corea.⁴

Hehmsoth started his career on the road touring with artists such as Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles, and Bonnie Raitt, playing and recording with Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Christopher Cross.³ He contributed saxophone performances to the Academy Award-winning Theme from Arthur and shared the stage with artists like Joe Henderson, Dizzy Gillespie, Beverly Sills, and Count Basie.²

In April 2024, Hehmsoth released his fifth album, Blu-Escape with his quartet Double Vision and mastered at Abbey Road Studios.⁵ The release premiered at SXSW 2024, where his group performed their original music in partnership with a visual art pairing.⁶ He has also released several trio records on his label Time Space Fabrics, and his works have appeared on global compilation albums.¹

In addition to music, Hehmsoth is a practicing visual artist. He exhibited original digital art in Expressions of Freedom at Walker's Gallery (San Marcos, Texas) in 2025.⁷ This exhibition featured in local press alongside past shows like Winging It.⁸

Hehmsoth balances his creative output with public involvement: he writes for All About Jazz and other publications that specialize in jazz and actively provides the confluence of sound and visual organization.⁹ His work has been featured in gallery exhibitions and live performance settings, including appearances at Walker Gallery, Cephas House, and programs hosted by the Austin Jazz Society.⁸

In a 2025 review for Los Angeles Jazz Scene, Scott Yanow, the American jazz reviewer, described Hehmsoth's album titled Blu-Escape as highlighting his lyrical phrasing and harmonic approach with focus on the album’s emphasis on mood, space, and melodic restraint.¹⁰

In 2025, the San Marcos Daily Record featured Hehmsoth on its front page as a composer and visual artist, examining his interdisciplinary approach and his role within the Central Texas jazz and the arts community at large.¹¹

Hehmsoth is a Distinguished Academic Member of the Athens Institute for Education and Research's International Conference on Visual and Performing Arts.¹² He is also a lifetime voting member for the GRAMMY Awards.¹³

Hehmsoth’s work has received support and recognition from notable arts and academic organizations. Among them include:

• NEA Jazz Composer Grant (1979)¹²
• MacDowell Colony Norton Stevens Fellowship (2012)¹²
• Fulbright U.S. Scholar – Chile (2012, 2016)¹²
• NEA Art:Works Grant for the Dan Morgenstern Collection (2018)¹²
• ASCAP Plus Award (2025)¹⁴
• Aaron Copland Fund for Music Award (2025)¹⁵