Search - Scott Hamilton :: East of the Sun

"Hamilton's playing is an inspiration - from the heart"

J. Lovins | Missouri-USA | 02/12/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When you thought you heard the best album Scott Hamilton had recorded, this release gives you a kick - "East Of The Sun", truly an astonishing confident performance. Hamilton appeared in the mid '70s with his appealing swing-style on tenor sax, mixing Zoot Sims, Ben Webster and Lester Young during the fusion era before settling on now his-own distinctive style. Moved to New York in 1976, toured and has recorded over thirty albums for Concord Jazz, as sideman and solo...with Gene Harris, Ray Brown, Rosemary Clooney, Ruby Braff, Charlie Byrd and Cal Tjader.Supported by Carl E. Jefferson (executive producer), Scott seized the opportunity to fulfill a cherished ambition to record with his regular British trio - Brian Lemon (piano), Dave Green (bass) and Allan Ganley (drums) - like Scott, Dave and Allan are self-taught and learned while they earned. Recorded at Lansdowne Recording Studios Ltd., London, England...August 31, 1993. Of course there stand outs - "IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU" (Burke/Van Heusen), great standard recorded by many crooners Crosby and Sinatra, this bossa-nova Hamilton arrangement is rhytmically-intoxicating..."IT NEVER ENTERED MY MIND" (Rodgers/Hart), magnificent version of a like-minded team who work together regularly, so natural...and the highlight is - "BERNIE'S TUNE" (Miller/Lieber/Stoller), completely fresh interpretation, shades of Henry Mancini come to mind - every jazz player's dream is to swing, and swing it does!Total Time: 63:13 on 11 Tracks...Concord Jazz CCD-4583...(1993)"

Standards delivered with warmth

N. Dorward | Toronto, ON Canada | 02/01/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The fuss about "neoconservative" or "neotraditional" jazz in the 1980s (Marsalis et al) conveniently ignored younger musicians like Scott Hamilton who, without any hype, had been playing in an unfussily traditionalist swing style for their entire careers. This disc is one of the dozens he's recorded for Concord, showcasing an attractively honest & intelligent tenor style.There are a couple distinctive features of the recording. First is the expert rhythm section of three British musicians--Brian Lemon on piano, Dave Green on bass & Allan Ganley on drums. They are all excellent players whose comfortable swing puts many North American rhythm sections to shame. The other feature here is the repertoire, which is mostly (except for "Bernie's Tune" & Hamilton's original blues "Setagaya Serenade") extremely well-worn standards like "Autumn Leaves" & "Indiana". According to the liner notes the tunes were chosen in a poll by readers of Japan's _Swing Journal_ as "titles they would most like to hear on a Scott Hamilton recording".If the tunes are a bit overfamiliar, Hamilton certainly doesn't treat them sleepily: each rendition is delivered smoothly & beautifully but with genuine craft & freshness. The disc has a lovely, warm feel, reinforced by the glowing studio sound. It's a disc that isn't for those looking for flash--indeed, it's perhaps a touch too becalmed (it might have benefitted from another uptempo number maybe, though certainly Hamilton's calling card is ballads). Its most beautiful moments come on "It Never Entered My Mind"--an absolutely flawless rendition--& on a swinging "Autumn Leaves" & a surprisingly hard-hitting "Bernie's Tune".Big-hearted, gentle music: those aren't qualities that are in plentiful supply in contemporary jazz, & are all the more to be treasured for their abundance here."