Friday, August 24, 2018
Friday, March 16, 2018
Saturday, December 2, 2017
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Harry Allen & Scott Hamilton
March 10: SFSC University Auditorium, Avon Park. Tickets and Details
March 11: Vero Beach Yacht Club, Vero Beach. Tickets and Details
March 13: Palladium Theater at St. Petersburg College, St. Petersburg. Tickets and Details
March 14: Charlotte Cultural Center Theater, Port Charlotte Tickets and Details
March 15: Unitarian Church, Venice. Tickets and Details
Thursday, August 21, 2014
More Than You Know - Ruby Braff & Scott Hamilton
Artist Biography by Scott Yanow
One of the great swing/Dixieland cornetists, Ruby Braff went through long periods of his career unable to find work because his music was considered out-of-fashion, but his fortunes improved by the 1970s. A very expressive player who in later years liked to build his solos up to a low note, Braff's playing was instantly recognizable within seconds.
Braff mostly worked around Boston in the late '40s. He teamed up with Pee Wee Russell when the clarinetist was making a comeback (they recorded live for Savoy), and after moving to New York in 1953, he fit easily into a variety of Dixieland and mainstream settings. Braff recorded for Vanguard as a leader, and with Vic Dickenson, Buck Clayton, and Urbie Green.
He was one of the stars of Buck Clayton's Columbia jam sessions, and in the mid-'50s worked with Benny Goodman. But, despite good reviews and occasional recordings, work was hard for Braff to come by at times. In the 1960s, he was able to get jobs by being with George Wein's Newport All-Stars and at jazz festivals, but it was not until the cornetist formed a quartet with guitarist George Barnes, in 1973, that he became more secure.
Afterward, Braff was heard in many small-group settings, including duets with Dick Hyman and Ellis Larkins (he had first met up with the latter in the 1950s), quintets with Scott Hamilton, and matching wits with Howard Alden. He remained one of the greats of mainstream jazz until his death in 2003.
read more: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ruby-braff-mn0000357057/biography
Friday, September 27, 2013
The Jazz Coin: Scott Hamilton & John Escreet
By C. MICHAEL BAILEY, Published: September 23, 2013
Twenty-first century jazz has a greater breadth and depth than any time previously. Granularity in jazz genre has become so reduced that genre designations are almost meaningless. In jazz, we are approaching a time when jazz will no longer be "jazz" but music in the most liberal sense of the word. But, until that time, we will have contrasts like those heard from tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton and pianist John Escreet.
Swedish Ballads...and More
Charleston Square Recordings - 2013
Backed by a crack Scandinavian rhythm section, tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton delivers seven schnapps-smooth Swedish ballads and mid-tempo tunes that include the standard "Dear Old Stockholm" and Quincy Jones' "Stockholm Sweetnin.'" Pianist Jan Lundgren, bassist Jesper Lundgaard and drummer Christian Leth provide Hamilton a cool and seamless continuum for the saxophonist to play with and over. All are provided solo space, Lundgaard taking advantage of his on "Dear Old Stockholm," turning in an angular yet melodic spot without losing any swing.
Pianist Lundgren is perfectly composed within the confines of Lundgaard's Swiss timekeeping. His solos, such as "Swing in F," are informed and carefully conceived, filled with drama and relaxed suspense. This band shares a great empathy with Hamilton, who responds, in kind, with some of his warmest tenor playing. "You Can't Be In Love With A Dream" is downright creamy and rich, Hamilton playing with a breathy expectation. An audio dictionary would play this recording as an example of jazz; it is the very best of traditional mainstream.
Sabotage and Celebration
Whirlwind Recordings - 2013
Pianist John Escreet is one of a group of progressive jazz artists redefining jazz performance. This group includes alto saxophonist David Binney, pianist Taylor Eigsti, and vocalists Gretchen Parlato, Becca Stevens, and Rebecca Martin, among many others. These musicians are intent on leaving a very definite mark on jazz as it enters its second one-hundred years. Escreet's music has been the subject of many reviews at All About Jazz including his most recent releases, Don't Fight The Inevitable (Mythology Records, 2010), The Age We Live In (Mythology Records, 2011), and Exception To The Rule (Criss Cross, 2011). He is a restless sort of musician, trying many things at once before choosing a direction for a project.
On Sabotage and Celebration, another recording of seven selections, Escreet travels from the abstract classical on "Axis of Hope" through the breezy and balladic "He Who Dares" with its craggy head and solid rhythm to the pure chaos of the middle section of the lengthy title composition, tenor saxophonist Chris Potter playing his best John Coltrane on ecstasy while Escreet weaves in and out of Don Pullen by way of Cecil Taylor.
Iconoclastic drummer Jim Black plays, well, iconoclastically. "Beyond Your Wildest Dreams" features the ubiquitous David Binney on alto and soprano saxophones as well as the same string section opening the recording. It is a cogent and edgy platform for Binney to wail. Escreet's innate restlessness will insure more compelling music like this.
Read more: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=45442#.UkVxoRbhEhQ
