Jump to content
  • JoeWhip
    JoeWhip

    Scott Hamilton Favorites

    After the piano and the upright bass, my favorite tool in the jazz tool belt is the tenor sax. As much as I enjoy a great drummer and the rhythm that a drum kit adds to a trio, there is just something about the big warm sound of a great tenor player backed by a piano and bass that really appeals to me. When it comes to the tenor sax, I fall into the camp that there is no school like the old school. Players like The Prez, Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Dexter Gordon, Zoot Simms or my personal favorite, Ben Webster. I could listen for hours to Ben Webster recordings (and have) and his breathy romantic style of playing. Sure, he could swing with the best of them, but no one IMHO could touch him on ballads. No one. However, in the 1950’s with the advent of bee bop and then hard bop, the style of the old masters somehow became old fashioned and increasingly fell out of favor. Fortunately, there are still tenor players today who continue to play in the style of the old masters. For this writer, the best of these players is the subject of this piece, Scott Hamilton. While Scott’s recorded output is vast, I have picked out five of his recordings that I go back to time and time again during long listening sessions. All feature excellent sonics.

     

     

    1.  Live at Smalls

    If you only get one Scott Hamilton recording, this is the one to get. It was recorded in 2014 at Smalls, a tiny and dare I say intimate jazz club on W. 10th Street in Manhattan. Located in the basement, Smalls holds all of 60 people. This recording puts you right at the center of the stage, close enough to reach out and touch Scott’s tenor. This recording takes you into the club. The entire ambiance of the club is there, from the chatter and the clinking of glasses and silverware. Behind Scott in the soundstage is Rossano Sportiello on piano to the left, J.J. Shakur on bass and to the right, Chuck Riggs on drums. This set has it all. It swings and rocks. All four of the musicians are on the top of their game and clearly love playing together. Tight does not even begin to describe this group. Did I mention that the sound is fantastic? I believe that the CD is out of print. I have a 24/88.2 file from the usual sites. Check it out. You will be glad you did.

    H.png Purchase via HDtracks Scott Hamilton - Live at Smal's (24/88.2)

     

     

    2. Live at Pyatt Hall 

    This is another live recording, this one set at Pyatt Hall, at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music. While Pyatt Hall is larger than Smalls, it only holds about 130 people. The sound captured is just a tad more distant than the Smalls set and I mean just a tad. This set has more ballads than the Smalls set, but still features Scott’s large tenor sound front and center, with some brilliant accompaniment by Rossano Sportiello on piano. The capture of the piano on this recording is sensational as is the recording of Scott’s sax. If I had one quibble with this recording, it would be that the recording of J.J.’s bass is a bit more diffuse than I would like, almost as if it was recorded out of phase. A very enjoyable listen nonetheless and a great recording with the lights out late at night.

     

    q@2x.png  Listen via Qobuz Scott Hamilton - Live at Pyatt Hall

    T.png Listen via Tidal Scott Hamilton - Live at Pyatt Hall

     

     

     

    3.  Hamilton and Hamilton Live in Bern

    This set is a bit of a twofer, as it features Scott Hamilton on tenor with the great Jeff Hamilton Trio. I have mentioned Jeff Hamilton before as he is the drummer on the fantastic Montreux Alexander recording. Jeff has a regular touring trio featuring the sensational and underrated Tamir Hendelman on piano and Christoph Luty on bass. This trio has been together for years and it shows. This is a rather unusual live recording in that it was recorded in an empty hall in Bern Switzerland the morning of their engagement there. For those not familiar with this trio, this is a great recording on which to check them out with the added bonus, of course, of the great Scott Hamilton.

     

    T.png Listen via Tidal Hamilton & Hamilton - Live in Bern

     

     

     

    4.  Who Cares?

    This is a recording on, dare I say it, a boutique audiophile label, fone. This set was recorded in the cellar of the Hotel II Castello in Italy. On it Scott is accompanied by Andrea Pozza on piano. It is a somewhat laidback ballad set with exceptional sonics with natural reverb and decay. Scott has several recordings on the fone label. They are all worth checking out. There is another set with Andrea Pozza entitled, I could Write a Book, as well as Bean and the Boys and Ballads for Audiophiles. 

     

    q@2x.png  Listen via Qobuz Scott Hamilton - Who Cares?

     

    T.png Listen via Tidal Scott Hamilton - Who Cares?

    H.png Purchase via HDtracks Scott Hamilton - Who Cares? (24/88.2)

     

     

    5.  Back in New York

    This set was released in 2005 on the Concord label. It features Scott Hamilton accompanied by another great touring trio with Bill Charlap on piano, Peter Washington on bass and Kenny Washington on drums. Again, for those of you unfamiliar with Bill Charlap and his trio, this recording is a fine introduction to his music. This set is a bit different than the others in that it is a studio recording and has a much more bee bop vibe. It is well worth a listen.

    In these pieces on Audiophile Style, I am writing about great jazz musicians who are still with us and actively touring. If you see any of these fine musicians coming to your town, by all means, see them live. 

     

    q@2x.png  Listen via Qobuz Scott Hamilton - Back in New York

    T.png Listen via Tidal Scott Hamilton - Back in New York

     

     


    Joe with Jeff Hamilton at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola in NYC.

     

    image1.jpeg

     

     

     

     

     




    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    Thanks for writing this. I'm a big Scott Hamilton fan but there are a couple of albums on your list that I don't have yet.

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Thanks for the great list.  I have also been a Hamilton fan since his first LPs released by Concord records back in the 70's.  Some of my favorite of recent years have been his discs with the Eddie Higgins trio.  Also, if you are unfamiliar with it you should check out  Harry Allen's disc "Blue Skies". It's a gorgeous sounding disc recorded live to two-track analog by John Marks.

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I have the Harry Allen disc. Indeed it is superb.

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Nice write-up.  His fone recordings are all done in DSD, unedited.  The DSD versions, therefore, are VERY good (assuming your dac can handle them).  :)

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    i have the DSD 64 files of the fone recordings. I convert them to pcm for playback.

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    My favorite studio by Hamilton is one that's a little harder to find, entitled Radio City.

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I wasn't familiar with Scott Hamilton's work. So, I looked him up on Qobuz. Good stuff! Added to my library. But his appearance from album to album is shockingly different. Hard to tell it's the same guy.

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites



    Create an account or sign in to comment

    You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create an account

    Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

    Register a new account

    Sign in

    Already have an account? Sign in here.

    Sign In Now




×
×
  • Create New...