by John Lawrence

The Jeff Hamilton Trio with Jeff on drums, Tamir Hendelman on piano and Christoph Luty on bass will perform Sunday, September 29, at the Saville Theater on the campus of San Diego City College at 5 PM. If you only go to one jazz event this year, this should be the one.

Jeff Hamilton is a truly amazing drummer, a major star in the jazz firmament. Jeff was voted the Numero Uno jazz drummer in Modern Drummer Magazine’s readers’ poll. Jeff’s prestidigitation on the drum set will have sticks and/or hands flying in a way that hardly seems humanly possible but always with consummate taste and rooted in the jazz tradition.

Jeff’s marriage of power and precision, his dynamic range from whispers to raging torrents, will leave you breathless and definitely wanting more. But most of all he’s known for his melodic solos.

He has toured extensively with Diana Krall and performed with Ella Fitzgerald, Rosemary Clooney, the Count Basie Orchestra, Ray Brown and Oscar Peterson among others. He is co-director of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra as well as fronting the Jeff Hamilton Jazz Trio which will be performing Saturday.

Edward Blanco of ejazznews said this: “The Jeff Hamilton Trio has been pumping out some of the best music in jazz today.”

Israeli-born piano virtuoso Tamir Hendelman is one of my favorites among the younger keyboard artists playing today. Beginning his keyboard studies at age 6 in Tel Aviv, Tamir moved to the US at age 12 in 1984, winning Yamaha’s national keyboard competition 2 years later at age 14. Concerts in Japan and the Kennedy Center followed. Tamir joined the Jeff Hamilton Trio in 2000, contributing arrangements, recording and touring Japan, Europe and the US. In 2002 he toured Europe with Tierney Sutton and the Bill Holman Big Band. He is featured on Natalie Cole’s “Still Unforgettable” album and on an upcoming album with Barbra Streisand.

Bassist Christoph Luty is known for his big, natural sound, melodic bass lines and solos, and articulate arco playing. He came to Los Angeles from Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1990 to pursue his dream of studying and playing with the greats. Reviewing Christoph’s CD “It’s Good To Be Seen,” Jazz Player Magazine noted that “Christoph Luty’s arco bass playing ability is remarkable…exceptionally in tune with a centered tone.”

The event is being produced by noted musician Holly Hofmann and Keynote Jazz Co., with all proceeds benefiting KSDS, Jazz 88.3, San Diego’s nonprofit, commercial-free jazz radio station. KSDS is America’s Finest Jazz Radio Station and in fact is world renowned. We are lucky to live in a city where such fine jazz programming exists. The station’s manager Mark DeBoskey says, “Holly Hofmann’s enthusiasm for this station, and our own role in the local and national jazz communities, is reflected in her presentation of this superstar concert. We deeply appreciate her involvement in the fundraiser, which will increase the station’s much needed operational funds.”

More information and tickets may be obtained by visiting http://www.jazz88.org.  You can print your tickets out from your home computer – EASY!

FREE parking is available in adjacent lot #8. Doors open at 4:30 p.m.

It was said of the late legendary jazz musician Ben Webster that he could “distill the essence of a tune.” Well, on Saturday evening the Jeff Hamilton Trio will be distilling the essences of tunes from the Great American Songbook which comprises songs by the Great American Composers such as George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Richard Rogers and others. The spirits thus produced by this distillation process are guaranteed to lift your spirits! Hope to see you there.

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John Lawrence

John Lawrence graduated from Georgia Tech, Stanford and University of California at San Diego. While at UCSD, he was one of the original writer/workers on the San Diego Free Press in the late 1960s. He founded the San Diego Jazz Society in 1984 which had grants from the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture and presented both local and nationally known jazz artists. John received a Society of Professional Journalists, San Diego chapter, 2014 award. His website is Social Choice and Beyond which exemplifies his interest in Economic Democracy. His book is East West Synthesis. He also blogs at Will Blog For Food. He can be reached at j.c.lawrence@cox.net.

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