Jimmy Hamilton
Jimmy Hamilton | |
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Jimmy Hamilton and Harry Carney, Aquarium NYC, c. November 1946 Photography by William P. Gottlieb | |
Background information | |
Birth name | James Hamilton |
Born | (1917-05-25)May 25, 1917 Dillon, South Carolina, United States |
Died | September 20, 1994(1994-09-20) (aged 77) St. Croix, Virgin Islands |
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Clarinet, saxophone |
Jimmy Hamilton (May 25, 1917 – September 20, 1994)[1] was an American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist, who was a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra.
Biography
Hamilton was born in Dillon, South Carolina, United States,[2] and grew up in Philadelphia. Having learned to play piano and brass instruments, in the 1930s he started playing the latter in local bands before switching to clarinet and saxophone.[2] During this time he studied with clarinet teacher Leon Russianoff. In 1939, he played with Lucky Millinder, Jimmy Mundy, and Bill Doggett, going on to join the Teddy Wilson sextet in 1940.[2] After two years with Wilson, he played with Eddie Heywood and Yank Porter.
In 1943, he replaced Barney Bigard in the Duke Ellington orchestra and stayed with Ellington until 1968.[2] His style was different on his two instruments: on tenor saxophone he had an R&B sound, while on clarinet he was much more precise and technical. He wrote some of his own material in his time with Ellington.
After he left the Ellington orchestra, Hamilton played and arranged on a freelance basis before spending the 1970s and 1980s in the Virgin Islands teaching music.[2] On his retirement from teaching, he continued to perform with his own groups in 1989 and 1990. Hamilton died on September 20, 1994, in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, at the age of 77.[1]
Discography
As leader
- Clarinet in High Fi (Urania, 1955)
- Jimmy Hamilton and the New York Jazz Quintet (Urania, 1956)
- Swing Low Sweet Clarinet (Everest, 1960)
- It's About Time (Prestige Swingville, 1961)
- Can't Help Swinging (Prestige Swingville, 1961)
- In a Sentimental Mood (World Record Club, 1963)
- Rediscovered at the Buccaneer (Who's Who in Jazz, 1985)
- S'weet But (Hot Drive, 1997)
- Tribute to Barney Bigard and Russell Procope (Squatty Roo, 2014)
With Clarinet Summit
- In Concert at the Public Theater (India Navigation, 1984)
- Southern Bells (Black Saint, 1987)
As sideman
With Duke Ellington
- Masterpieces by Ellington (Columbia, 1951)
- Ellington Uptown (Columbia, 1952)
- Live At The Crystal Gardens 1952 (Hep, 2011)
- Ellington '55 (Capitol, 1954)
- Seattle Concert (RCA Victor, 1954)
- Ellington Showcase (Capitol, 1955)
- Historically Speaking (Bethlehem, 1956)
- Duke Ellington Presents... (Bethlehem, 1956)
- Liberian Suite (Columbia, 1956)
- Ellington at Newport (Columbia, 1956)
- A Drum Is a Woman (Columbia, 1957)
- All Star Road Band (Doctor Jazz, 1957 [1983])
- Such Sweet Thunder (Columbia, 1957)
- Black, Brown and Beige (Columbia, 1958)
- Newport 1958 (Columbia, 1958)
- The Cosmic Scene (Columbia, 1958)
- Ellington Indigos (Columbia, 1958)
- Jazz Party (Columbia, 1959)
- Ellington Moods (Sesac, 1959)
- Festival Session (Columbia, 1959)
- Duke Ellington at the Bal Masque (Columbia, 1959)
- Anatomy of a Murder (Columbia, 1959)
- Blues in Orbit (Columbia, 1960)
- First Time! The Count Meets the Duke (Columbia, 1961)
- Paris Blues (United Artists, 1961)
- Midnight in Paris (Columbia, 1962)
- Piano in the Background (Columbia, 1962)
- All American in Jazz (Columbia, 1962)
- Afro-Bossa (Reprise, 1963)
- The Great Paris Concert (Atlantic, 1963 [1973])
- The Symphonic Ellington (Reprise, 1963)
- All Star Road Band Volume 2 (Doctor Jazz, 1964 [1985])
- Ellington '65 (Reprise, 1964)
- Harlem (Pablo, 1964 [1985])
- Duke Ellington Plays Mary Poppins (Reprise, 1964)
- Concert in the Virgin Islands (Reprise 1965)
- The Popular Duke Ellington (RCA Victor, 1966)
- Duke Ellington's Concert of Sacred Music (RCA Victor, 1966)
- Far East Suite (RCA Victor, 1967)
- Soul Call (Verve, 1967)
- Ella and Duke at the Cote D'Azur (Verve, 1967; with Ella Fitzgerald)
- Liederhalle Stuttgart 1967 (SWR, Jazzhaus, 2020)
- And His Mother Called Him Bill (RCA Victor, 1968)
- Second Sacred Concert (Fantasy, 1968)
- Black, Brown and Beige (Columbia, 1958)
- Live At The Opernhaus Cologne 1969 (Delta Music, 2016)
- 70th Birthday Concert {Sol;id State, 1969
With Johnny Hodges
- Used to Be Duke (Norgran, 1954)
- Creamy (Norgran, 1955)
- Ellingtonia '56 (Norgran, 1956)
- The Big Sound (Verve, 1957)
- Duke's in Bed (Verve, 1957)
- Not So Dukish (Verve, 1958)
- The Rabbit (Vogue, 1962)
- Johnny Hodges with Billy Strayhorn and the Orchestra (Verve, 1962)
- Everybody Knows Johnny Hodges (Impulse!, 1964)
- Blue Notes (Verve, 1966)
- Blue Pyramid (Verve, 1966)
- Don't Sleep in the Subway (Verve, 1967)
- Triple Play (RCA Victor, 1967)
- Swing's Our Thing (Verve, 1968)
- Jumpin' with Johnny Hodges (Vogue, 1973)
- Ellingtonia! (Onyx, 1974)
With others
- Ralph Burns, Ralph Burns Among the JATPs (Norgran, 1955)
- Harry Carney, With Strings (Clef, 1955)
- Rosemary Clooney, Blue Rose (Columbia, 1956)
- Ella Fitzgerald & Duke Ellington, Ella at Duke's Place (Verve, 1966)
- Earl Hines, Once Upon a Time (Impulse!, 1966)
- Frank Sinatra & Duke Ellington, Francis A. & Edward K. (Reprise, 1968)
- Lucky Thompson, Intimate Jazz in Hi-Fi, Accent On Tenor Sax (Urania, 1956)
- Ben Webster, Music for Loving (Norgran, 1954)
- Coleman Hawkins, Basically Duke (Bethlehem, 1954)
- Coleman Hawkins, Things Ain't What They Used to Be (Swingville, 1961)
References
- ^ a b Watrous, Peter (September 22, 1994). "Jimmy Hamilton, 77, Clarinetist Integral to the Ellington Sound". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. ISBN 0-85112-580-8.
External links
- Jimmy Hamilton — brief biography by Scott Yanow, for AllMusic.
- v
- t
- e
- Harlem Jazz, 1930
- Ellingtonia, Vol. One
- Ellingtonia, Vol. Two
- Braggin' in Brass: The Immortal 1938 Year
- The Blanton–Webster Band
- Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band
- Smoke Rings
- Liberian Suite
- Great Times!
- Masterpieces by Ellington
- Ellington Uptown
- The Duke Plays Ellington
- Ellington '55
- Dance to the Duke!
- Ellington Showcase
- Historically Speaking
- Duke Ellington Presents...
- The Complete Porgy and Bess
- A Drum Is a Woman
- Studio Sessions, Chicago 1956
- Such Sweet Thunder
- Studio Sessions 1957 & 1962
- Ellington Indigos
- Black, Brown and Beige
- Duke Ellington at the Bal Masque
- The Cosmic Scene
- Happy Reunion
- Jazz Party
- Anatomy of a Murder
- Festival Session
- Blues in Orbit
- The Nutcracker Suite
- Piano in the Background
- Swinging Suites by Edward E. and Edward G.
- Unknown Session
- Piano in the Foreground
- Paris Blues
- Featuring Paul Gonsalves
- Midnight in Paris
- Studio Sessions, New York 1962
- Afro-Bossa
- The Symphonic Ellington
- Duke Ellington's Jazz Violin Session
- Studio Sessions New York 1963
- My People
- Ellington '65
- Duke Ellington Plays Mary Poppins
- Ellington '66
- Concert in the Virgin Islands
- The Popular Duke Ellington
- Far East Suite
- The Jaywalker
- Studio Sessions, 1957, 1965, 1966, 1967, San Francisco, Chicago, New York
- ...And His Mother Called Him Bill
- Second Sacred Concert
- Studio Sessions New York, 1968
- Latin American Suite
- The Pianist
- New Orleans Suite
- Orchestral Works
- The Suites, New York 1968 & 1970
- The Intimacy of the Blues
- The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse
- Studio Sessions New York & Chicago, 1965, 1966 & 1971
- The Intimate Ellington
- The Ellington Suites
- This One's for Blanton!
- Up in Duke's Workshop
- Duke's Big 4
- Mood Ellington
- Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940 Live
- Black, Brown, and Beige
- The Carnegie Hall Concerts: January 1943
- The Carnegie Hall Concerts: December 1944
- The Carnegie Hall Concerts: January 1946
- The Carnegie Hall Concerts: December 1947
- Ellington at Newport
- Dance Concerts, California 1958
- Dance Dates, California 1958
- Newport 1958
- Jazz at the Plaza Vol. II
- Duke Ellington at the Alhambra
- Live at the Blue Note
- Hot Summer Dance
- The Great Paris Concert
- A Concert of Sacred Music
- In the Uncommon Market
- Soul Call
- Yale Concert
- 70th Birthday Concert
- Togo Brava Suite
- Live at the Whitney
- Third Sacred Concert
- Eastbourne Performance
- Blue Rose
- Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book
- Side by Side
- Back to Back
- The Great Summit
- First Time! The Count Meets the Duke
- Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins
- Money Jungle
- Duke Ellington & John Coltrane
- Serenade to Sweden
- Ella at Duke's Place
- The Stockholm Concert, 1966
- Ella and Duke at the Cote D'Azur
- Francis A. & Edward K.
- It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing
- "African Flower"
- "All Too Soon"
- "Azure"
- "Black and Tan Fantasy"
- "Black, Brown and Beige"
- "C Jam Blues"
- "Come Sunday"
- "Cotton Tail"
- "Creole Love Call"
- "Day Dream"
- "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue"
- "Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me"
- "Don't Get Around Much Anymore"
- "Drop Me Off in Harlem"
- "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo"
- "Echoes of Harlem"
- "Everything but You"
- "I Ain't Got Nothin' but the Blues"
- "I Didn't Know About You"
- "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)"
- "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart"
- "I'm Beginning to See the Light"
- "I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So"
- "In a Mellow Tone"
- "In a Sentimental Mood"
- "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"
- "Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'"
- "Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don't Tease Me)"
- "The Mooche"
- "Mood Indigo"
- " Prelude to a Kiss"
- "Rocks in My Bed"
- "(In My) Solitude"
- "Sophisticated Lady"
- Queenie Pie (unfinished opera)
by Billy Strayhorn |
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by Juan Tizol |
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members
- Hayes Alvis
- Cat Anderson
- Ivie Anderson
- Harold Ashby
- Alice Babs
- Shorty Baker
- Butch Ballard
- Art Baron
- Aaron Bell
- Louie Bellson
- Joe Benjamin
- Barney Bigard
- Lou Blackburn
- Jimmy Blanton
- Wellman Braud
- Lawrence Brown
- Harry Carney
- Johnny Coles
- Willie Cook
- Buster Cooper
- Kay Davis
- Wild Bill Davis
- Wilbur de Paris
- Bobby Durham
- Mercer Ellington
- Rolf Ericson
- Jimmy Forrest
- Victor Gaskin
- Peter Giger
- Tyree Glenn
- Paul Gonsalves
- Sonny Greer
- Fred Guy
- Jimmy Hamilton
- Otto Hardwick
- Shelton Hemphill
- Rick Henderson
- Al Hibbler
- Johnny Hodges
- Major Holley
- Charlie Irvis
- Quentin Jackson
- Hilton Jefferson
- Herb Jeffries
- Freddie Jenkins
- Money Johnson
- Herbie Jones
- Wallace Jones
- Taft Jordan
- Al Killian
- Queen Esther Marrow
- Wendell Marshall
- Murray McEachern
- Louis Metcalf
- James "Bubber" Miley
- Harold "Geezil" Minerve
- Ray Nance
- Tricky Sam Nanton
- Oscar Pettiford
- Eddie Preston
- Russell Procope
- Junior Raglin
- Betty Roché
- Ernie Royal
- Al Sears
- Joya Sherrill
- Willie Smith
- Elmer Snowden
- Rex Stewart
- Billy Strayhorn
- Billy Taylor
- Clark Terry
- Juan Tizol
- Norris Turney
- Ben Webster
- Arthur Whetsel
- Cootie Williams
- Nelson Williams
- Skippy Williams
- Booty Wood
- Jimmy Woode
- Britt Woodman
- Sam Woodyard