Hampton Hawes - Hampton Hawes Plays Movie Musicals (2020)

"Throughout his career [Hampton Hawes], a restless man constantly engaged in a search for self-improvement, has expanded his scope, finding new ways to voice chords, and new songs to enlarge his repertoire.

Long before it became fashionable for jazz musicians to record albums of Broadway hits, Hamp expressed his enthusiasm for show tunes, in which he found a whole new world of material. In 1966 he cut a trio album for Contemporary, comprising mostly hits from movies and Broadway shows.

His debut album for Vault, however, is different in concept from any of his previous LPs. The selection of Billy Byers to provide the string backgrounds could not have been more felicitous. To round cut the group, Hamp had Bob West on bass and Larry Bunker on drums. West, rapidly gaining recognition as one of the most versatile bassists on the studio and night club. Bunker, of course, is a percussionist for all reasons and seasons."