Search - Jeff Hamilton :: Swing That Music

Swing That Music features Hamilton among irreplaceable players: Randy Reinhart, Bryan Shaw, and Dan Barrett (on cornet, trombone, valve trombone, and trumpet); Harry Allen on tenor sax; Dave Frishberg, piano; Eddie Erickson, guitar and vocal; Becky Kilgore, vocal; Joel Forbes, bass. It is beautifully recorded, with pointed, witty notes by RAG veteran Jim Leigh. It is also one of those CDs that makes intelligent use of the medium, understanding the potential and the pitfalls of 75 minutes of music in one package. Rather than being one ensemble blowout after another, a portable jam session that might overwhelm the listener with climaxes, this disc is a mini-concert. Jeff, well known as a singularly fine drummer from his Arbors recordings with Dan Barrett, has a special way of playing for the band, of integrating himself thoughtfully and propulsively within the ensembles (some drummers play on top of the band, some alongside it) reminiscent of Dave Tough, Sidney Catlett, and Jo Jones. I don't write those names casually. Hamilton's hi-hat work has a driving silvery lightness; his accents are perfectly placed; he varies his sound; he is playful but never obtrusive. A few years after first hearing him on disc, I was lucky enough to hear him live at Jazz at Chautauqua, where he uplifted everyone he played with, both soloists and bands.