Scott Hamilton, tenor-saxophonist (born Sept. 12, 1954)

Scott Hamilton – Elbjazz Festival 2024 – ARTE Concert

Track List:

0:48 Tangerine 10:18 Good Bait 19:27 Night In Tunisia 31:38 Autumn In New York 41:09 I Got Rhythm 51:43 Slow Blues

Personnel:

• Scott Hamilton
• Joost van Schaik
• Jos Machtel
• Rein de Graaff

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 its 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.

His expressive “classic” tenor sax sound and impeccable phrasing were received with skepticism by some of his contemporaries, but they aroused great interest in the public familiar with the great tradition of swing musicians, especially from the moment he began to play record albums for the Concord company.

His first LP for the Californian label, (Scott Hamilton is a good wind who is blowing us no ill) was recorded in 1977, and borrows its title from a positive comment by famous critic Leonard Feather. About thirty albums followed, presenting Scott in the most varied musical contexts, from quartets to string orchestras, and with different artists (such as Dave McKenna, Warren Vaché, Howard Alden or John Bunch), but offering as a constant his warm sound – derived from those of Ben Webster and Paul Gonsalves – and the imagination of his improvisations.

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Above labels and fashions, Scott Hamilton has managed to earn the respect and admiration of the public and critics with his artistic honesty and the continuity of his musical discourse. Oblivious to the advertising campaigns and media launches so in vogue these days, he has a legion of followers in the United States, Europe and Japan.

Although Scott does not deny the marginal influence of saxophonists such as John Coltrane, his playing style has remained intact over the last thirty years, and his repertoire includes standards, ballads and blues, performed with good taste, imagination and swing.

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