Klarinet Archive - Posting 000437.txt from 1995/02

From: "Michael A. Cassara" <michael.cassara@-----.COM>
Subj: Jimmy Hamilton and the Ellington band
Date: Mon, 27 Feb 1995 19:37:00 -0500

Hi Fred,
Sorry I didn't post this sooner. I've been very busy
lately. Jimmy Hamilton is one of my favorite jazz players. He
passed away just recently on September 20, 1994. He was living in the U.S.
Virgin Islands, and apparently died of congestive heart failure.
I'm not sure of his horn set up. I think he was on a boehm though.
He played with the Duke Ellington Big Band from 1943-1968.
Before that he played in big various big bands including those led by
Teddy Wilson, Lucky Millinder, Jimmy Mundy, and Eddie Haywood.
Hamilton was also an incredible tenor sax player. If you like Jimmy
Hamilton's clarinet sound you're sure to enjoy Barney Bigard. A
virtuoso New Orleans Albert system clarinet player, Bigard played with
the Ellington band, Louis Armstrong and countless other legends.
I'm not sure if it is available on C.D. but if you ever listen to the
Ellington Big Band recording of Harlem Airshaft I'm sure you would be
crazy over Bigard. He litterally gliss's from a C right below the staff to
a Altissimo G. Incredible tone too!!
There were countless other Ellingtonian clarinettists: Harry
Carney played bari sax and bass clarinet, There was Johnny Hodges,
and Russell Procope. All of them were incredible clarinet blowers.
As for literature. Most of my information on Hamilton was taken
from the January, 1995 Down Beat Magazine that had a obituary for him. If
you like the Ellingtonian sound then there are many books worth reading.
Here is a partial bibliography:

Armstrong, Louis. Satchmo: My life in New Orleans. New York: Prentice-Hall
1947. (Contains tons of info on Barney Bigard)

Bechet, Sidney. Treat it Gentle. New York: Da Capo Press, 1975
(A great player who later switched and popularized the soprano saxaphone)

Ellington, Duke. Music is My Mistress. New York: Doubleday, 1973
(This is Duke's autobiography. Great!!!)

Mezzrow, Mezz and Wolfe, Bernard. Really the Blues. New York: Doubleday
Anchor Books, 1972
(A great sax/clarinet player with a very interesting life....)

Morgenstern, Dan. Jazz People. New York: Da Capo Press, 1976.
(Beautiful big band history/picture book)

There are also books on Pee Wee Russell, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and
Buddy deFranco (and others...) I'll post when I find the details out. I
know the two main Benny Goodman biographies are written by Ross Firestone
and James Lincoln Collier respectively. The Firestone book is entitled
Swing, Swing, Swing and in my humble oppinion is better.

>I'd like to emulate his sound.

Who wouldn't want to?

Hope this helps,
Mike Cassara
Cleveland, Ohio