☆スコット・ハミルトン新録音! 今回もヤン・ラングレン・トリオを率いて、70年代の極上のスタンダードを!
■時代を超えたサウンド、非の打ち所の無いセンス、完璧な意思決定によりジャズ界の王道を歩み続けるアメリカの巨匠テナー、スコット・ハミルトンのStunt Records第7作目。
「スウェディッシュ・バラード&モア」(STUCD13022)、「デニッシュ・バラード&モア」(OSTUCD18102)、「クラシックス」(STUCD22032S)等でも素晴らしい共演を魅せてくれた、ヤン・ラングレン(p)、ハンス・バッケンルート(b)、クリスチャン・レト(ds)の北欧強力トリオをバックに、スコット・ハミルトンの味わい深いテナーで70年代の名曲を振り返る。
トミー・フラナガンの「ビヨンド・ザ・ブルーバード」やホーギー・カーマイケルの「ロッキン・チェア」、マイルス・デイヴィスの演奏でも知られるレオ・ドリーブの歌曲「カディスの乙女」、ミュージカル映画『マイ・フェア・レディ』の音楽「彼女のことで頭がいっぱい」、そしてスコット・ハミルトンが70年代のバディ・テイトとのレコードに吹き込んでいた自作曲「ビッグ・テイト」など、21世紀になっても色褪せない極上のスタンダードを、ハミルトンの未だ衰えぬ繊細な息遣いでお届けします。
※録音:2024年1月14日-16日、スウェーデン
Scott Hamilton (tenor sax), Jan Lundgren (piano), Hans Backenroth (bass), Kristian Leth (drums)

As of 1998, when this CD was released, Scott Hamilton had recorded over 30 albums as a leader for Concord. Although all are quite worthwhile, the swing tenor's consistency and unchanged style since the 1970s have resulted in a certain sameness and predictability to his recordings. This release, however, definitely stands apart from the crowd, for it is a set of tenor/guitar duets that Hamilton performs with Bucky Pizzarelli. A tribute to Zoot Sims (one of Hamilton's early influences), this is a very successful outing. Pizzarelli's mastery of the seven-string guitar allows him to play basslines behind solos, so one never misses the other instruments. Although the duo performs a variety of standards, there are also some lesser-known pieces among the highlights including the title cut, Al Cohn's "Two Funky People," the Sims/Cohn collaboration "Morning Fun," and the obscure "In the Middle of a Kiss." Both Hamilton and Pizzarelli sound inspired in this format, stretching themselves while always swinging. Pizz had recorded a duo album with Sims back in 1973, and Zoot also cut a full set with guitarist Joe Pass a couple years later. This excellent, slightly offbeat outing is on the same level as those two and is highly recommended to fans of swinging mainstream jazz.

“I have been wanting to record with Andrea Pozza for twenty years, so this was a great opportunity for me. In addition we recorded at home in Certaldo Alto so the atmosphere was very relaxed and friendly. I am looking forward to hearing how I sound without any effects - just the very good natural acoustics of the Castello.”
------Scott Hamilton

身为Venus Records旗下最受欢迎的大将，Eddie Higgins营造浪漫气氛的功力绝对是第一流的，偕同萨克斯风大师 Scott Hamilton 与单簧管大师 Ken Peplowski一起继《It is Magic》专辑后于09年再次联袂打造《Essential Best》。
Biography:
Born and raised in New England, Eddie (Haydn) Higgins started his professional career in Chicago, while studying at the Northwestern University Music School. For twenty years Eddie worked at some of Chicago's best known jazz clubs, including the Brass Rail, Preview Lounge, Blue Note, Cloister Inn and Jazz Ltd. His longest and most memorable job was at the London House, where he led the house trio for twelve years, playing opposite the biggest jazz stars of the 50's and 60's, including Stan Getz, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, Errol Garner, George Shearing, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans and many others.
During his stay in Chicago, Eddie recorded a number of albums under his auspices and many more as a sideman with a wide variety of musicians, ranging in style from Coleman Hawkins to Wayne Shorter, Don Goldie to Freddie Hubbard, Jack Teagarden to Al Grey. Eddie's versatility is well-known: he has backed singers, done studio work as both pianist and arranger and worked in every jazz medium from Dixieland to Modern Jazz.
In 1970, Eddie moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and began spending winters in Florida and summers on Cape Cod, where he plays local clubs and enjoys sailing and tennis. Since the early 1980's, Eddie has traveled widely on the jazz festival circuit and has performed frequently in Europe and Japan. His releases on the Japanese “Venus” label have earned him number one in jazz sales on more than one album. In 1988, Eddie and jazz singer/pianist/artist Meredith d'Ambrosio were married and have become a popular team at clubs and festivals, as well as recording for Sunnyside Records.
In recent years, Eddie's recording activity has become even more prolific and attention to his play has grown to be more widely recognized. He has received praise from such as Nat Hentoff and Gary Giddons. Attempts to describe his style are exemplified by the following:
To these tributes, I would add that Eddie's play can be extraordinarily moving. Listen to his treatment of Brazilian themes on “Speaking of Jobim” and solo work on the album “Time On My Hands,” the latter which achieves an almost unparalleled marriage of style, composition and audio fidelity. You would think it was being played in a cathedral.

Since his debut album, released to considerable critical acclaim in 1977 on Concord Jazz, Scott Hamilton (b. 1954) has established himself as one our foremost tenor saxophone balladeers, one with a keen ear for indelible first-rate tunes. With Nocturnes and Serenades, his forty-first Concord Jazz disc as a leader or co-leader, Hamilton's balladry takes center stage, and with sublime results. Eight of the ten performances herein are ballads (the medium-tempo exceptions are "Flamingo" and "By the River Sainte Marie"), and Hamilton's aged-in-oaken-casks approach has never been warmer or more full-bodied. Now residing in England, the Providence, RI native is backed by his regular touring rhythm section; their empathetic support is at once unobtrusive and in-the-moment. Early in his career it was observed that Hamilton's sound and conception channeled those of giants Ben Webster and Zoot Sims. But on Nocturnes and Serenades it's the soul of Scott Hamilton that comes to the fore. And he builds a "Chelsea Bridge" that is every bit on a scale with that of Webster, its previous master architect.

Scott Hamilton - Tenor Saxophone
Dave McKenna - Piano
Phil Flanigan - Bass
Jeff Hamilton - Drums