HPPAA WEEKLY PROGRAM · PERFORMANCE + PUBLIC HISTORY
Texas Jazz History
Live at Nica on 4th
The Hank Hehmsoth Trio brings live jazz, the stories of Texas artists, and the musical legacy of Baroness Pannonica “Nica” de Koenigswarter into one intimate Wednesday-night program.
- Wednesdays
- 6:30–9:30 PM
- Downtown Austin
- 21+ venue
A LIVING HISTORY PROGRAM
The story is inside the music.
HPPAA presents an ongoing program where performance, research, and conversation meet in the room.
Each Wednesday, the Hank Hehmsoth Trio performs a changing repertoire of modern jazz, music by Texas artists, and compositions associated with the extraordinary circle around Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter.
Between selections, pianist, composer, and jazz historian Hank Hehmsoth shares brief stories that illuminate the people behind the music—from Texas innovators such as Eddie Durham and Kenny Dorham to the artists, friendships, and dedications connected with Nica.
This is public history in a live setting: concise enough to belong naturally inside a performance, but grounded in the research and cultural-documentation work at the heart of H Project Performing Arts Association.
WHAT HAPPENS EACH WEEK
Three ways into the story.
The program changes from week to week. The through-line remains the same: music becomes a way to encounter artists, histories, and relationships that continue to shape jazz.
Live trio
Spontaneous, close-range jazz led by Hank Hehmsoth, with regular and rotating Austin musicians.
Texas jazz history
Short introductions connect repertoire with Texas-born artists, composers, arrangers, and musical lineages.
Nica’s musical world
Compositions written for or associated with Pannonica reveal how friendship and advocacy entered the music itself.
THE BARONESS OF JAZZ
A life that changed the music.
Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter—known as Nica—was a patron, confidante, and determined advocate for many of the musicians who shaped modern jazz. Her friendships with Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, and others placed her close to one of the most transformative periods in twentieth-century music.
Her legacy is audible. Composers across several generations wrote pieces for her, about her, or in gratitude for the refuge and support she provided. The weekly HPPAA program returns those musical dedications to a living performance context.
MUSIC · IMAGERY · NARRATIVE · CULTURAL MEMORYRESEARCH BEHIND THE PROGRAM
Two histories carried into the room.
Hank Hehmsoth’s published research provides a deeper path into two recurring subjects heard in the weekly program: Nica’s place in modern jazz and Eddie Durham’s foundational role in Texas and American music.
ALL ABOUT JAZZ · THE JAZZ FILES
Songs for Nica: How Jazz Fell in Love with a Baroness
A verified chronology of compositions written for or connected with Pannonica—turning a network of friendships and dedications into a repertoire listeners can follow.
Read the Nica article ↗ALL ABOUT JAZZ · UNDER THE RADAR
Eddie Durham: The Jazz Innovator a City Refuses to Forget
The story of the San Marcos-born arranger, composer, trombonist, and electric-guitar pioneer whose innovations helped shape the sound of swing.
Read the Eddie Durham article ↗A REPERTOIRE OF DEDICATIONS
Her name became part of the music.
These works form a remarkable portrait in sound: ballads, blues, and hard-bop compositions connected by one listener, advocate, and friend. Selections from this repertoire enter the program alongside Texas jazz and original music.
- 01Nica’s DreamHorace Silver · 1955
- 02Nica’s TempoGigi Gryce · 1955
- 03PannonicaThelonious Monk · 1956
- 04Blues for NicaKenny Drew · 1956
- 05Nica Steps OutFreddie Redd · 1957
- 06TonicaKenny Dorham · 1960
- 07NicaSonny Clark · 1960
- 08ThelonicaTommy Flanagan · 1982
ORAL HISTORY
A remembrance of Nica.
Jazz historian Dan Morgenstern reflects on Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter in this short film produced by Hank Hehmsoth.
The Hank Hehmsoth Trio
The weekly ensemble is led by pianist Hank Hehmsoth. Regular and rotating musicians include bassist Utah Hamrick and drummer Nic Chacón, with guest artists such as bassist Sofia Villarreal. Personnel may vary by date.
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Nica on 4th
In downtown Austin, the venue’s postwar-inspired setting pays homage to Pannonica while keeping live jazz at the center of the room.
Suite 101A
Austin, TX 78701
6:30–9:30 PM
21+ only. Reservations are recommended; walk-ins are accepted. Nica currently lists a $10 entertainment fee per guest from 6 PM to midnight.
Please confirm the current program schedule, lineup, venue policy, and entertainment fee with Nica on 4th before traveling.
PERFORMANCE AS PUBLIC HISTORY
A weekly program. A growing cultural record.
HPPAA connects research with living performance—bringing Texas jazz stories to audiences where music is already happening.