Scott Hamilton

A tenor saxophonist whose playing combined a swinging approach with a warm sonority and fluid phrasing, Scott Hamilton surfaced during the 1970s with an idiom that evoked the earlier lyricism of Ben Webster and Zoot Sims. That choice of direction set him apart from most peers at a moment when fusion dominated the electric jazz scene. After signing with Concord he delivered a run of well-received recordings, among them Swinging Young Scott in 1977, Tenorshoes in 1979, and The Right Time in 1986, each highlighting his command of acoustic jazz, blues material, and standards. Esteem from both younger musicians and established figures followed, notably when he traveled with the small ensemble of clarinetist and bandleader Benny Goodman. Together with like-minded players such as cornetist Warren Vache, saxophonist Harry Allen, and saxophonist Scott Robinson, Hamilton has sustained earlier jazz practices, appearing alongside veterans including guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli on the 1998 album Red Door: Remember Zoot Sims and issuing refined dates from his later base in Italy, among them Danish Ballads & More in 2019.

Born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1954, Hamilton first encountered jazz through his father’s record collection. He began on drums at age five and later took up piano, harmonica, and clarinet before choosing tenor saxophone near his sixteenth birthday. The work of Johnny Hodges, Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, and Zoot Sims shaped his direction; by the time he finished high school he was already performing in public and sitting in at local clubs. During those formative years he met and performed with swing trumpeter Roy Eldridge at a Boston venue. Eldridge urged the young musician to relocate to New York, and Hamilton made the move in 1976 at age twenty-two. There he secured a six-week engagement at Michael’s Pub and came into contact with such established artists as pianist Hank Jones, trombonist Vic Dickenson, vocalist Anita O’Day, and saxophonist Illinois Jacquet.

His first recording for Concord appeared in 1977 under the title Scott Hamilton Is a Good Wind Who Is Blowing Us No Ill and featured trumpeter Bill Berry, pianist Nat Pierce, bassist Monty Budwig, and drummer Jake Hanna. Additional sessions for the label soon followed, including Scott II, the collaborative Scott Hamilton and Warren Vache (With Scott’s Band in New York), and Tenorshoes in 1979. In the same period he joined Benny Goodman’s small group, working alongside the bandleader, Warren Vache, guitarist Chris Flory, and others through the late 1970s and early 1980s. Hamilton maintained the traditional jazz lineage throughout the 1980s with releases such as Close Up in 1982, First Up with cornetist Ruby Braff in 1985, and Major League with Jake Hanna and Dave McKenna in 1986, along with projects involving saxophonist Flip Phillips, saxophonist and composer Benny Carter, and the Concord All-Stars. A 1986 contribution to Gerry Mulligan’s album Soft Lights & Sweet Music earned him a Grammy nomination.

During the 1990s Hamilton relocated to England, establishing himself in London and forming a quartet with pianist John Pearce, bassist Dave Green, and drummer Steve Brown. He nevertheless continued his Concord association, producing East of the Sun in 1993, My Romance in 1995, and After Hours in 1997. Further collaborations included albums with guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, guitarist Jimmy Bruno, and vocalist Rosemary Clooney. Jazz Signatures, issued in 2001, presented compositions associated with Illinois Jacquet, Benny Carter, and Don Byas. He recorded the duo project Heavy Juice with saxophonist Harry Allen in 2004 and joined pianist Bill Charlap, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Kenny Washington for Back in New York in 2005.

In the late 2000s Hamilton settled in Tuscany, Italy, while maintaining an active touring schedule. He concluded his long Concord tenure with Nocturnes & Serenades in 2006 and Across the Tracks in 2008. After the move he issued recordings on independent labels, among them Midnight at NOLA’s Penthouse with pianist Rossano Sportiello in 2010, A Splendid Trio with guitarist Howard Alden in 2011, and ’Round Midnight with saxophonist Harry Allen in 2012, as well as sessions involving pianist Jan Lundgren, vocalist Karin Krog, and pianist Andrea Pozza. A 2017 collaboration with pianist and vocalist Champian Fulton produced Things We Did Last Summer, followed the next year by the quartet album Moon Mist featuring pianist Dena DeRose, bassist Ignasi Gonzalez, and drummer Jo Krause. Danish Ballads & More, another quartet date, appeared in 2019.