Jimmy Hamilton

This article is about the American musician. For the Scottish curler, see Jimmy Hamilton (curler).

Jimmy Hamilton
Jimmy Hamilton and Harry Carney, Aquarium NYC, ca. November 1946. Photography by William P. Gottlieb.
Background information
Birth name	James Hamilton
Born	(1917-05-25)May 25, 1917 Dillon, South Carolina, United States
Died	St. Croix, Virgin Islands
Genres	Jazz
Instruments	Clarinet, saxophone
Associated acts	Duke Ellington

Jimmy Hamilton (May 25, 1917 – September 20, 1994) was an American jazz clarinetist, tenor saxophonist, arranger, composer, and music educator, best known for his twenty-five years with Duke Ellington.

Biography

Hamilton was born in Dillon, South Carolina, and grew up in Philadelphia. Having originally learned to play piano and brass instruments, in the 1930s he started playing the latter in local bands, before switching to clarinet and saxophone. 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 very 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.

Later years & Death

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 September 20, 1994 in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, at the age of 77.

Discography

As leader

• 1953: "Big Fifty"/"Rockaway Special" (States Records)
• 1954: Jimmy Hamilton Orchestra (Jazz Kings)
• 1955: Jimmy Hamilton (Urania)
• 1960: Swing Low Sweet Clarinet (Everest)
• 1961: It's About Time (Swingville)
• 1961: Can't Help Swinging (Prestige)
• 1985: Rediscovered Live at the Buccaneer (Who's Who in Jazz)
• 1991: Jimmy Hamilton & the New York Jazz Quintet (Fresh Sound)
• 1997: Sweet but Hot (Drive Archive)
• 1999: Jazz in July: at the Lafayette Club (Hambone Records)
• 1999: Live at the Buccaneer (Jazz Time)

As sideman

With Clarinet Summit

• In Concert at the Public Theater (1984)
• Southern Bells (1987)

External links

• Jimmy Hamilton — brief biography by Scott Yanow, for AllMusic.