Scott Hamilton - Jazz at the Club: Live from Sociëteit De Witte (2019)

When, early seventies, Scott Hamilton made his international debut, it was a kind of sensation. On the album cover he looked like a guy from the fifties or even earlier. The music he played also had the taste of yore. Of all those great swingers that preceded him. Scott Hamilton seemed a fad that would fade. Not so with Hamilton. Happily. His style was a matter of pure love. A love to which he stayed faithful. With that ideal mastery of the flowery language of swing and bop. Up to the smallest punctuation marks. Being able to use them fluently in enjoyable stories everyone could like. By lovingly blowing new life into his ‘standards’.

In The Hague’s ‘Literaire Sociëteit De Witte’ the Jazz at the Club- programme brought Hamilton together with Dutch jazzmusicians who could have been his blood relatives, musically speaking. Drummer Frits Landesbergen who as a young musician already gathered all the important jazz prizes in his country and always swings. Bass player Hans Mantel a musician who can caress, swing ánd sing on his instrument. With the youngest of the band, piano player Francesca Tandoi, originally from Rome but living in The Hague, who supports and solos with lots of phantasy and a perfect timing. And whose singing voice is as important. Because of the ear-pleasing intimacy and romance of her expression in ‘Maybe you’ll be there’ and ‘Estate’. ‘Scott Hamilton Live’ offers a delightful journey from what jazz was to what it is. With the ancient ‘Sheik of Araby’ (1921, from a Rudolf Valentino-movie) to Dizzy Gillespie’s ‘Blue 'N' Boogie’. From ‘Dein ist mein ganzes Herz’, from the Franz Léhar operetta ‘Das Land des Lächens’, as a jazz piece titled ‘Yours is my heart alone’. To Irving Berlins beautiful ‘How deep is the ocean’ or Gene de Pauls ‘I’ll remember April’.
Welcome to the world of the eternal lover, Scott Hamilton.