MusicWeb International

Webmaster: Len Mullenger

[ Jazz index ] [Nostalgia index]  [ Classical MusicWeb ] [ Gerard Hoffnung ]

BUY NOW AmazonUK   AmazonUS

JEFF HAMILTON TRIO Great American Songs Through The Years Capri Records Limited Edition (2500 copies) (Catalogue Number Not Supplied)

1. Falling In Love With Love

2. Tenderly

3. The More I See You

4. It Could Happen To You

5. Someone To Watch Over Me

6. Thou Swell

7. You Took Advantage Of Me

8. I Thought About You

9. All Or Nothing At All

10. How Long Has This Been Going On

Jeff Hamilton - Drums

Tamir Hendelman - Piano

Christoph Luty - Bass

Jeff Hamilton is a vastly experienced musician, having played and studied drumming from his teen years onwards. His credits include playing with Tommy Dorsey, Lionel Hampton and Woody Herman in a big band setting and spells with Ray Brown and later, Oscar Peterson, as a sideman in a trio, recording and performing with many other jazz artistes over the years. He has been associated as a co-leader with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra since 1984 and has also fronted his own trio, on and off, since 1994. Latterly, he has been a notable member of Diana Krall's coterie of support musicians. Here he teams up with the Israeli-born Tamir Hendelman on piano and bassist Christoph Luty, who studied bass with John Clayton, Jeff's longtime collaborator. They are an impeccable fit for one another, having played both in the trio and in the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra together for some considerable time.

It's difficult to fault this album(originally released by All Art Promotion Inc. Japan) given that the tunes are all from The Great American Song Book, delivered by an exceptionally fine trio. The More I See You, for instance, has evocative bowed bass by Luty, introducing this tuneful standard, but quickly picks up rhythm and tempo until it fairly belts along with Hendelman attacking the piano and the tune robustly. Gershwin's Someone To Watch Over Me once more has Luty producing a cello-like sound from his instrument while Tamir Hendelman explores the theme with true inventiveness. Exquisite. You Took Advantage Of Me reminds us of Jeff Hamilton's quality – this is top-notch drumming, stylish and never heavy-handed. Thou Swell also confirms the leader's superb touch. I Thought About You is simply a great tune, previously covered in memorable fashion by giants like Stan Getz and Sinatra. This expansive treatment gives the song a real workout.

Choosing tracks to praise almost seems invidious since the overall effect is so impressive. What strikes me most about this trio is that it seems to operate as a partnership of equals. Oscar Peterson's groups are evoked. Jeff Hamilton himself is a constant skilled presence of rock-solid consistency. If you like to hear familiar standards treated with affection and invention, this CD is a must!

James Poore

Error processing SSI file

Return to Index