Remembering Milt “The Judge” Hinton

At the time of his passing, in 2000, Milt “The Judge” Hinton was considered by both fans and fellow musicians the Dean of Jazz bassists. About 70 years ago, I began listening to jazz broadcast on Chicago radio stations, and countless times I heard “Milt Hinton on bass” among the announced band personnel. But I didn’t get a chance to see and hear Milt in person until the early 1980s. The Illiana Club of Traditional Jazz used and mixed several all-star groups at their fest, as well as “set” bands. Milt always stood out on most of the recordings I’d heard. That’s when I discovered that he was not only a solid rhythm section bassist; he did things with tunes that most bassists wouldn’t try, mostly while accompanying other players, and his solos were always special. Needless to say, I was thrilled to finally meet him and see him on the bandstand. At the time I was a DJ with WTRC in Elkhart, Indiana, doing Patterns in Jazz. Eddie Banjura introduced me to Milt, and after talked a while I did a short tape recording for my radio show during which Milt told of his recent travels. That’s when I discovered that Milt worked most of the time in New York City, where he lived. Milt had a busy schedule as a studi