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Scott Hamilton

Scott Hamilton is the premier 'mainstream' saxophonist of today. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1954, he came along at the time when the kind of jazz he loved-the small-group swing of such great stylists as Illinois Jacquet and Eddie Lockjaw Davis-was out of fashion, and largely out of the public ear. Scott's handsome sound and impeccable phrasing were a rare commodity among young jazzmen. So when he signed to Concord Records, and began making albums for label boss and mainstream advocate Carl Jefferson, it caused surprise and excitement among both devotees of the style, and in the wider musical world.

His first Concord set, [Scott Hamilton is A Good Wind Who IS Blowing Us No Ill] was made in 1977 and took it’s title from an admiring remark from veteran jazz critic Leonard Feather. But it became only the first in a long and memorable series of albums for the label, which now stretches to nearly 30 releases They feature Scoff's playing in all kinds of settings-with small groups, string orchestras, in partnership with such distinguished players as Ruby Braff and Dave McKenna, and in many other situations. The constant is Scoff's creative imagination and the beautiful, honeyed sound he gets out of the tenor saxophone.

While he acknowledges the sidelong influence of players such as John Coltrane, he continues to perform the music he loves, which first brought him into jazz - great ballads and blues, played from the heart, with the timeless virtues of swinging playing underscoring every phrase. A worldwide following of admirers wouldn't have it any other way.

Long regarded a consummate interpreter of standards, Scoff Hamilton's big, warm tenor saxophone tone and unerring sense of swing have a way of making every tune he plays uniquely his own. For his latest Concord Jazz outing, Hamilton-with the help of his simpatico group featuring John Bunch (piano), Dave Green (bass), and Steve Brown (drums)-presents some of his very favorite tunes. Tunes which happen to have been penned by other great jazz players, including such legendary jazz musicians/composers as Dave Brubeck, Fats Waller, Illinois Jacquet, Benny Carter, and many others.

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Album Review

Terry Gibbs Legacy Band: The Terry Gibbs Songbook

Read "The Terry Gibbs Songbook" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Legacy Band? At age ninety-eight, vibraphonist Terry Gibbs--the last remaining member of a legendary group of jazz musicians who defined the big-band era in America and helped expand and sharpen the music's vocabulary--hasn't finished writing his own legacy, which is why this album is subtitled “The Terry Gibbs Songbook." Although best known as a player, Gibbs, as it turns out, is a splendid composer as well, and wrote every one of the album's fifteen songs, adding lyrics ...

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Album Review

Terry Gibbs Legacy Band: The Terry Gibbs Songbook

Read "The Terry Gibbs Songbook" reviewed by Edward Blanco


At age 92 years old, vibraphonist Terry Gibbs was still a musical force when he recorded 92 Years Young Jammin' at the Gibbs House (Whaling City Sound, 2017). His son, drummer Gerry Gibbs, paid homage to him with Songs from My Father (Whaling City Sound, 2021) with the Thrasher Dream Trio band. As for this recording for his father, Gerry Gibbs says, “Recording this record with my Pops will always be so memorable because it will be his last work." ...

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Album Review

Scott Hamilton Quartet: At PizzaExpress Live

Read "At PizzaExpress Live" reviewed by Dave Linn


"Cocktail jazz" is a term used to describe a jazz music style often played in upscale, sophisticated settings such as bars, restaurants, and hotels. It is typically characterized by its relaxed and laid-back feel and its use of melodic and harmonically accessible tunes that are pleasant to listen to. The Scott Hamilton Quartet release At PizzaExpress Live is a perfect example. Hamilton's long career (over fifty albums as a leader, many on the Concord Jazz label) is one ...

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Album Review

Fraser MacPherson: From The Pen Of...

Read "From The Pen Of..." reviewed by Jack Bowers


The late tenor saxophonist Fraser MacPherson was well-known in western Canada and elsewhere for his brilliance—but as player, not a writer. In fact, according to MacPherson's son Guy, who wrote the excellent liner notes to From the Pen of..., his father wrote barely a dozen or so original compositions, almost all of which are included on this superlative album with performances by a who's who of well- known jazz artists from Canada and other countries. Considering what ...

1
Album Review

Fraser MacPherson: From The Pen Of...

Read "From The Pen Of..." reviewed by Pierre Giroux


Tenor saxophonist Fraser MacPherson was an original. Although he was raised in Victoria, British Columbia, he moved to Vancouver early in his career where he remained throughout his working life. He began to build his reputation as a Lester Young-influenced player, and in the mid '70s recorded his first trio album for West End Records with guitarist Oliver Gannon and bassist Wyatt Ruther. This album was picked up by Concord Records in the late '70s and released in the U.S. ...

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Album Review

Carol Sloane: Carol Sloane Live At Birdland

Read "Carol Sloane Live At Birdland" reviewed by Richard J Salvucci


Was there ever a more storied exponent of the Great American Songbook than Carol Sloane? She started singing professionally at the age of fourteen, made her first recording in 1959, was the “gal singer" for Arthur Godfrey for a spell, and went on to record virtually any tune you can think of (and, more than likely, a few you cannot). Her voice, shimmering and luminous, worked especially well on ballads, but her up-tempo material was equally compelling. She sang with ...

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Album Review

Scott Hamilton and Duke Robillard: Swingin' Again

Read "Swingin' Again" reviewed by Kyle Simpler


In 1987, Duke Robillard released the album Swing (Rounder), a successful combination of jazz and jump blues. He got his old friend, tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton to help him out with the recording. Although Robillard is primarily known as a blues guitarist, the record made it obvious that jazz is also deeply rooted in his musical DNA. With Swingin' Again, he revisits the jazz world, and he once again teams up with Hamilton to help him out. Robillard ...

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Festival

Scott Hamilton at the PDX Festival

Scott Hamilton at the PDX Festival

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey

When Scott Hamilton came to prominence in the 1970s he was a jazz wunderkind unlike any other saxophonist of his generation. He was twenty-two years old when he arrived in New York from Providence, Rhode Island in 1976. Most of his saxophone contemporaries wanted to be John Coltrane, blazing trails through the post-bebop era. Hamilton wanted to be Johnny Hodges, Ben Webster, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn. He was dedicated tounadulterated swing and harmonies not altered by complex chord substitutions. His ...

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Video / DVD

Scott Hamilton - "Just You, Just Me" (2007)

Scott Hamilton - "Just You, Just Me" (2007)

Source: Riffs on Jazz by John Anderson


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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Scott Hamilton

Jazz Musician of the Day: Scott Hamilton

Source: Michael Ricci


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Recording

Concord Jazz Veteran Scott Hamilton - New CD in Stores Now

Concord Jazz Veteran Scott Hamilton - New CD in Stores Now

Source: On Target Media Group

The new album from tenor sax legend and Concord Jazz veteran Scott Hamilton is available now (CD & Digital). Released this week on Concord Jazz , Scott Hamilton & Friends - Across The Tracks consists of 9 tracks featuring some of the best musicians accompanying Hamilton including Grammy nominee Duke Robillard (guitar), Gene Ludwig (organ), Chuck Riggs (drums), and Doug James (baritone saxophone). Produced by Bob Porter, Across the Tracks was recorded, mixed, and mastered at the famed New Jersey ...

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