This CD has been a recording
waiting to happen for twenty years. Back then, highschooler Harry Allen joined
Scott Hamilton on stage at the Newport Jazz Festival for a cameo performance
with the George Wein-led Newport All-Stars. Allen grew up in Rhode Island,
which also claims Hamilton as a native son. And Hamilton certainly was a role
model as Allen blossomed then—and fast became a welcome young player on the New
York swing jazz scene. They've had occasional chances to collaborate on the
bandstand. And now, Heavy Juice enables them to join a line of great tenor
summit session pairings that through the years have included Ben Webster and
Coleman Hawkins, Gene Ammons and Dexter Gordon, Ammons and Sonny Stitt, and Al
Cohn and Zoot Sims. This is a splendid session in which two good musical
friends mine common musical ground with very similar sounds. Both favor a
breathy, growling Webster tone at times. These days, Allen comes more out of a
Stan Getz melodic bag, which Hamilton explored in an earlier phase. At times,
when they're playing in unison or locked into the same tone, it helps to know
that Hamilton is on the left stereo channel, Allen on the right. The crack
rhythm section provides a strong cushion, with John Bunch's dancing hands
providing some elegant twists and turns at the piano. Nothing here disappoints,
but their bop-meets-R&B take on "Blues Up and Down" by Ammons and
Stitt ranks as my clear favorite. It's filled with an exuberant spirit of
one-upmanship until they blend together for the final shout chorus. In
contrast, the Duke Ellington ballad "Warm Valley" enables them to
share a Websterish blend. From start to finish, through all eight tracks, this
blend of Heavy Juice is very, very good. ~ by Ken Franckling, AAJ.
Concord Jazz, CCD-2258-2, 2004
Recorded 11th
& 12th February, 2004 At Sound On Sound Recording, New York
Musicians:
Scott Hamilton - Tenor
Saxophone
Harry Allen - Tenor Saxophone
John Bunch - Piano
Dennis Irwin - Bass
Chuck Riggs - Drums
Tracks:
1. Heavy Juice {Leroy Bass,
Wilburt Prysock, Tiny Bradshaw} (6:04)
2. Did You Call Her Today?
{Ben Webster} (6:57)
3. Groovin' High {Dizzy
Gillespie} (7:03)
4. If I Should Lose You {Leo
Robin, Ralph Rainger} (6:48)
5. Blues Up And Down {Gene
Ammons, Sonny Stitt} (6:29)
6. If Dreams Come True {Benny
Goodman, Edgar Sampson, Irving Mills} (8:32)
7. Warm Valley {Duke
Ellington} (5:47)
8. Ow! {Dizzy Gillespie}
(9:06)
Total Time: 56:46
Credits:
Producer - Scott Hamilton
Executive-Producer - John
Burk
Recording & Mixing
Engineer - Josiah Gluck
Mastering Engineer - Seth
Presant
Design [Package Design] –
Kurt Sievert
Photography - Jay Andersen
Liner Notes - Ira Gitler
