Jeff Hamilton (the drumming Harold Arlen)

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( Naar het Nederlands-Vlaamse deel met een gitarist die gisteren vijftig jaar oud werd: Howard Alden en een zeventig jaar oud nummer over Engelse thee.) Jeff Hamilton ( de Harold Arlen op drums)

JEFF HAMILTON ( The Drumming Harold Arlen)

On Thursday the 16th of October 2008 the Jeff Hamilton Trio performed at the Porgy en Bess Jazz Club in Terneuzen in the southwest part of The Netherlands, before an enthusiastic audience. The trio featured Jeff Hamilton on drums, Tamir Hendelman at the piano and Christoph Luty on bass.

Jeff Hamilton - October 2008 ( Porgy en Bess Jazz club - Terneuzen ( The Netherlands) ( photo courtesy: Hans Koert)

Jeff Hamilton, who interrupted his European tour, which started in Scotland and Germany and continued it in Germany yesterday, to be followed by concerts and clinics in Switserland and Austria later, for an exclusive concert in The Netherlands and Belgium in the Porgy en Bess Jazz Club. Jeff enjoyed being in Terneuzen again: I love to be back in Porgy. When I'm here I think it's Sunday; you must have that same feeling. Next time I'll be back on Sunday - I promise! ( The regular jazz concerts are always scdulded on a Sunday afternoon) Jeff Hamilton - October 2008 ( Porgy en Bess Jazz club - Terneuzen ( The Netherlands) ( photo courtesy: Hans Koert)

Two years ago, November 2006, Jeff Hamilton was part of the Monty Alexander Trio in a concert in this club; a remake of the famous Montreux Trio, which brought Monty and his men a lot of fame. This time Jeff Hamilton visited Terneuzen with his trio. Piano player Tamir Hendelman, Israelian born, is a member of the Jeff Hamilton Trio since 2000 and is, except a sought after accompanist, also a skilled arranger. He proved that with a great arrangement of the tune Lullaby of the Leaves, played by the three men in the first set. His first album, Playground, was released just recently in Japan, with guest players Jeff Hamilton and John Clayton and if you know that he is also the regular piano player in the great Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra then you'll understand that both men are a good team. Tamir Hendelman - October 2008 ( Porgy en Bess Jazz club - Terneuzen ( The Netherlands) ( photo courtesy: Hans Koert)

Christoph Luty learned to play the bass from John Clayton and his bass playing sounded, now and then ( in my opinion), like Ray Brown. We learned that he also could play his instrument in a great way with the bow in a Claus Ogerman composition titled Symbiosis, a Jazz Concierto. Jeff Hamilton showed us, that nothing is left of the ingrained prejudice that a drum set always sounds very loud. With the brushes ( or sometimes even with his bare hands in a nameless tune, titled in Ternoezen as Arlen Goes To Brasil) and a fabulous technique, he can create a clear and transparent rhythmical base.

Christoph Luty - October 2008 ( Porgy en Bess Jazz club - Terneuzen ( The Netherlands) ( photo courtesy: Hans Koert)
His fascination for Harold Arlen during this concerts finds its origin in an event during the 2005 North Sea Jazz Festival, Jeff explains: When I was at the North Sea Jazz Festival (July 2005) I had to play at the Jean 'Toots' Thielemans & Friends sing the Harold Arlen Songbook concert. When I wanted to join the band, two 20 years old students stopped me. "I love to enter the stage", I told the girls; "I have to play." Oh, you are Toots Thiel(e)mans? No, I wish I was ...... Well, then you must be Harold Arlen ...................... ( for the youngsters among us: Harold Arlen was a famous composer who made hunderds of jazz tunes - he passed away in 1986).
Jeff Hamilton and Christopher Luty - October 2008 ( Porgy en Bess Jazz club - Terneuzen ( The Netherlands) ( photo courtesy: Hans Koert)
Although all the hints by Jeff Hamilton according this honorary title of course Harold Arlen returned with his composition Blues In The Night, among tunes like So Many Stars by Sergio Mendes, Poinciana, an Ahmad Jamal composition and, special for the drummer men in the audience, the Rodgers composition I Didn't Know What Time It Was, a killer-diller for drums, beause the changing measures, renamed in Porgy en Bess as I Didn't Know What Time It Is.

A great concert, which learns that the volunteers in Porgy en Bess are doing a very good job inviting this kind of musicians.
Hans Koert - keepswinging@live.nl

FATS WALLER: MILK FOR SIX.

In the middle of October 1938 Fats Waller had just returned from a tour along Europe and, I guess, his visit to England still was still a fresh experience for him. On the 14th of October and some days later, 70 years ago, he made some radio programs in the Yacht Club in New York city, that were recorded for a later transmission. Hugues Panassié, the famous French jazz journalist and producer, who came to the States to produce some recordings with Mezz Mezzrow, Tommy Ladnier and Sydney Bechet, remembered how he met Fats during these sessions. Then Fats came towards me, moving his eyebrows up and down in a funy way and spoke several words to me in what he took to be French. Then a piano was rolled out onto the floor and Fats played a number on his own, as a special turn. His enormous head had a tiny bowler hat on top of it, and the movements of his eyebrows moved it around in a comical way. He announced, "I'm gonna play Tea For Two", in other words, "Milk For Six"
Tomorrow I'll post a blog about a, for me unknown, remarkable Fats Waller creation .........

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

Nederlands-Vlaams ( To the English section with a review of the Jeff Hamilton Trio concert at Porgy en Bess Jazz club.)

HOWARD ALDEN 50 JAAR
Vrijdag vierde de Amerikaanse gitarist Howard Alden zijn vijftigste verjaardag. Geboren in Newport Beach, Californië (USA) op 17 oktober 1958 begon hij op banjo, maar pakte de gitaar professioneel ter hand in het orkest van Disneyland. In 1978 speelde hij bij de Red Norvo band en het orkest van Dick Sudhalter, die onlangs overleed. Ik heb daar in een eerdere blog aandacht aan besteed ( even naar beneden scrollen). In de tachtiger jaren zien we hem terug in allerlei swingbands, maar zelf geniet ik het meest van zijn soloplaten en duetopnamen met musici als Dick Hyman, Bucky Pizzareli, of de legendarische gitarist George Van Eps (in het Engels). Ik vond een fragment van een concert waarin we de twee heren in actie kunnen zien, met Bob Haggart op bas en Butch Miles op slagwerk. ( Schorndorf, Duitsland - oktober 1983).

Sinds de jaren negentig van de vorige eeuw speelt hij in allerlei swing revival groepen en, ondanks het feit dat hij een aantal jaren amper opgetreden heeft, lijkt hij nu weer volop actief. Vorige week speelde hij nog in Valkenswaard en gisteren was hij in Bonn (Duitsland). Vanaf zondag vind je hem op een jazzcruise op de Zwarte Zee, die zondag met het MS Delphin Voyager vanuit Istanboel - Turkije georganiseerd wordt. Tenslotte wil ik nog een fragment laten horen waarin Howard Alden speelt samen met klarinettist Ken Peplowski ( 1995). Genieten van de klassieker: Panama.

Hans Koert - keepswinging@live.nl


FATS WALLER: MILK FOR SIX

Halverwege oktober 1938 was Fats Waller net terug uit Europa en nog onder de indruk, denk ik, van zijn bezoek aan Engeland. Op 14 oktober en de dagen er na, zeventig jaar geleden, maakte hij in de Yacht Club in New York "ingeblikte" radioprogramma's voor o.a. Martin Block. Zo ook in de Yacht Club, waar hij bezoek kreeg van de Franse jazzjournalist en producer Hugues Panassié, die net aangekomen was in New York om opnamen te organiseren met musici als Mezz Mezzrow , Tommy Ladnier en Sidney Bechet. Hij herinnert zijn ontmoeting met Fats: Then Fats came towards me, moving his eyebrows up and down in a funny way and spoke several words to me in what he took to be French.( = Toen kwam Fats op me af, bewoog zijn wenkbrauw een paar keer op een grappige manier en begon in een soort Frans tegen me te praten.) Then a piano was rolled out onto the floor and Fats played a number on his own, as a special turn ( = Er werd een piano binnengerold en Fats speelde een solonummer om mee te beginnen. His enormous head had a tiny bowler hat on top of it, and the movements of his eyebrows moved it around in a comical way. ( = Hij droeg een belachelijk klein bolhoedje op zijn enorme hoofd, dat op en neer bewoog als hij met zijn wenkbrauwen bewoog.) He announced, "I'm gonna play Tea For Two", in other words, "Milk For Six" ( = Hij kondigde zijn nummer aan: Ik zal nu spelen "Tea For Two" of in andere woorden: Milk For Six ( = Melk voor zes man))

Binnenkort vind je in deze blog een, voor mij, onbekende en bijzondere Fats Waller creatie ......

Keep swinging

Hans Koert

keepswinging@live.nl

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