Ever since he burst upon the major league jazz scene in the mid-1970s, tenor-saxophonist Scott Hamilton has been one of the most consistent of all jazz artists. During the past 50 years he has never veered away from playing straight ahead swing-oriented jazz. His large and distinctive tone (originally influenced by both Zoot Sims and Ben Webster) is as strong now as ever, Hamilton sounds relaxed no matter what the tempo is and he always swings.
Having recently turned 70, Hamilton decided to record an album, Looking Back, that pays tribute to some of his favorite musical associates from his long career. Joined by a solid rhythm section comprised of the great pianist Jan Lundgren (a perfect accompanist and soloist for Hamilton), bassist Hans Backenroth, and drummer Kristian Leth, the tenor plays a song apiece that reminds him of Ruby Braff, Jimmie Rowles, Tommy Flanagan, Buddy Tate, Roy Eldridge, Gerry Mulligan, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Rosemary Clooney, Dave McKenna, and Illinois Jacquet. The song choices are not at all obvious. Braff is saluted with a ballad version of “I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face,” Buddy Tate is paid homage to on Hamilton’s uptempo blues “Big Tate,” Vinson is saluted on “Tune Up” (a song that some mistakenly credit to Miles Davis), and Jacquet’s version of “On A Clear Day” is remembered.
Not too surprisingly, Scott Hamilton is heard in his usual high-quality form, giving warmth, swing and his own personal sound to each interpretation. As with virtually all of his recordings (he has led over 85 so far), Looking Back is recommended to anyone who enjoys small-group swing.
Scott Hamilton
Looking Back
Stunt STUCD 24072
Since 1975 Scott Yanow has been a regular reviewer of albums in many jazz styles. He has written for many jazz and arts magazines, including JazzTimes, Jazziz, Down Beat, Cadence, CODA, and the Los Angeles Jazz Scene, and was the jazz editor for Record Review. He has written an in-depth biography on Dizzy Gillespie for AllMusic.com. He has authored 11 books on jazz, over 900 liner notes for CDs and over 20,000 reviews of jazz recordings.
Yanow was a contributor to and co-editor of the third edition of the All Music Guide to Jazz. He continues to write for Downbeat, Jazziz, the Los Angeles Jazz Scene, the Jazz Rag, the New York City Jazz Record and other publications.
