Editor’s picks for this week:
Scott Hamilton & Jeff Hamilton Trio
While the recording is titled Live In Bern (2015), it is far from a ‘concert recording’ – it was recorded in a club , minus an audience. And Scott (tenor sax) and Jeff (drummer) are not brothers. One would also imagine that after rubbing elbows for all of those years, that they had collaborated on vinyl many times before. OK – as I would have imagined. Nay – this offering was their first recording together. I suppose that sometimes, things just aren’t what they seem. One thing for certain is that they work well – very well – together. Jeff’s trio is rounded out with bassist Christof Loty, and pianist Tamir Hendelman.
The Bill Charlap Trio
Notes From New York (2016) is my absolute favorite Bill Charlap recording. It also represents my favorite trio – piano, bass, and drums. Ergo – Bill Charlap on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums. Remember Scott and Jeff? Well, Peter and Kenny aren’t related either. Lol. You already know that I have no shame when it comes to the jazz that I love, so it almost goes without saying that I have listened to this recording, on repeat, many a time since its inception.
The Kenny Barron Trio
While deciding what to pick for this week, I finally landed on an offering from this trio, Book Of Intuition (2016). I had, for so long, been wanting to see what the fuss was about. The trio consists of Kenny Barron on piano, Kiyoshi Kitagawa on bass, and Johnathan Blake on drums. With this offering, light and easy is what I hear. I also hear a cohesive and perfectly matched group of seemingly timeless musicians. And, I hear a collection of sounds that I wish could go on, and on, and on. Too bad that I waited so long before listening, but, now that I’ve listened, there’s a permanent spot in my listening rotation for Book Of Intuition.
Jazz, jazz, and nothing but jazz.
Listen on Spotify:
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Smoothe 