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Jimmy Hamilton

{{Short description|American jazz musician (1917–1994)}}

{{about|the American musician|other people}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2012}}

{{more citations needed|date=May 2021}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Jimmy Hamilton

| image = Jimmy Hamilton and Harry Carney, Aquarium NYC, Nov 1946 Gottlieb 03801.jpg

| caption = Jimmy Hamilton and Harry Carney, Aquarium NYC, c. November 1946
Photography by William P. Gottlieb

| birth_name = James Hamilton

| birth_date = {{birth date|1917|5|25}}

| birth_place = Dillon, South Carolina, United States

| death_date = {{death date and age|1994|9|20|1917|5|25}}

| death_place = St. Croix, Virgin Islands

| genre = Jazz

| occupation = Musician

| instrument = Clarinet, saxophone

| years_active =

| label =

| associated_acts = Duke Ellington

}}

Jimmy Hamilton (May 25, 1917 – September 20, 1994) 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,{{cite book|title=The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Guinness Publishing|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-580-8|page=}} 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.{{Cite news|last=Watrous|first=Peter|date=1994-09-22|title=Jimmy Hamilton, 77, Clarinetist Integral to the Ellington Sound|language=en-US|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/22/obituaries/jimmy-hamilton-77-clarinetist-integral-to-the-ellington-sound.html|access-date=2021-05-08|issn=0362-4331}}

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

With Johnny Hodges

With others

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p83735/biography|pure_url=yes}} Jimmy Hamilton] — brief biography by Scott Yanow, for AllMusic.

{{Duke Ellington}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Jimmy}}

Category:1917 births

Category:1994 deaths

Category:American jazz clarinetists

Category:American jazz tenor saxophonists

Category:American male saxophonists

Category:Duke Ellington Orchestra members

Category:People from Dillon, South Carolina

Category:People from Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

Category:Swing clarinetists

Category:Swing saxophonists

Category:20th-century American saxophonists

Category:Musicians from South Carolina

Category:American male jazz musicians

Category:20th-century American male musicians