BENNY MORTON & JIMMY HAMILTON Blue Note Swingtets, LP NM/NM, MOSAIC

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Benny Morton and Jimmy Hamilton Blue Note Swingtets Review by Ken Dryden

When the reissue label Mosaic was in its first decade of operation, it mined the Blue Note vaults to license long-neglected sessions such as the three heard on this compilation. Benny Morton was one of the top trombonists of the swing era, though he has been somewhat overshadowed by others who received more publicity and the fact that he recorded infrequently as a leader. Morton's five tracks include a sextet with Ellington veterans Barney Bigard and Ben Webster, with a rhythm section made up of pianist Sammy Benskin, bassist Israel Crosby, and drummer Eddie Dougherty. Morton, Bigard, and Webster are the stars and it is hard to avoid comparisons to the Ellington sound, though it hardly keeps this date from being a memorable one. Although Benskin didn't merit inclusion in the album title, he leads a strong trio with bassist Billy Taylor and drummer Specs Powell on four tracks, two of which ("Rosetta" and "Williphant Willie") were previously unissued. His lightly swinging version of "Cherry" sounds somewhat like Teddy Wilson, but without the latter's trademark runs. Clarinetist Jimmy Hamilton recruited a number of fellow Duke Ellington sidemen to record four selections in the fall of 1945, including Ray Nance, Henderson Chambers, Otto Hardwick, Harry Carney, and Oscar Pettiford, with pianist Jimmy Jones and drummer Sid Catlett added to the date. The familiarity of the musicians with one another made it easy for them to tackle the originals written for the session, which is highlighted by Hamilton's warm "Blues for Clarinets," featuring the leader, Carney, and Hardwick together on clarinets. This release was issued exclusively as a limited-edition LP by Mosaic in 1986 and has been long out of print, though a few of its tracks were briefly available on the Blue Note CD compilation Blue Note Swingtets a decade later. Collectors are advised to keep a sharp eye out on auction list for this valuable compilation of rare and rewarding swing sessions.

Benny Morton And Jimmy Hamilton – The Benny Morton And Jimmy Hamilton Blue Note Swingtets

Benny Morton - The Benny Morton And Jimmy Hamilton Blue Note Swingtets album cover

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Label: Mosaic Records (2) – MR1-115

Format:

Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Limited Edition

Country: US

Released: 1986

Genre: Jazz

Style: Swing

A1 Benny Morton's All Stars– My Old Flame

A2 Benny Morton's All Stars– Conversing In Blue

A3 Benny Morton's All Stars– The Sheik Of Araby

A4 Benny Morton's All Stars– The Sheik Of Araby (Alt Tk)

A5 Benny Morton's All Stars– Limehouse Blues

A6 The Sammy Benskin Trio– Cherry

B1 The Sammy Benskin Trio– Rosetta

B2 The Sammy Benskin Trio– The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise

B3 The Sammy Benskin Trio– Williphant Winnie

B4 Jimmy Hamilton And The Duke's Men– Old Uncle Bud

B5 Jimmy Hamilton And The Duke's Men– Blues For Clarinets

B6 Jimmy Hamilton And The Duke's Men– Slapstick

B7 Jimmy Hamilton And The Duke's Men– Blues In My Music Room

Executive-Producer – Charlie Lourie

This is one of an edition limited to 7500 albums.

Gatefold sleeve.

GOLDMINE GRADING

MINT ---- It should appear to be perfect. No scuffs or scratches, blotches or stains, labels or writing, tears or splits. Mint means perfect.

NEAR MINT ---- Otherwise mint but has one or two tiny inconsequential flaws that do not affect play. Covers should be close to perfect with minor signs of wear or age just becoming evident: slight ring-wear, minor denting to a corner, or writing on the cover should all be noted properly.

VERY GOOD PLUS ---- The record has been handled and played infrequently or very carefully. Not too far from perfect. On a disc, there may be light paper scuffs from sliding in and out of a sleeve or the vinyl or some of the original luster may be lost. A slight scratch that did not affect play would be acceptably VG+ for most collectors.

VERY GOOD ---- Record displays visible signs of handling and playing, such as loss of vinyl luster, light surface scratches, groove wear and spindle trails. Some audible surface noise, but should not overwhelm the musical experience. Usually a cover is VG when one or two of these problems are evident: ring wear, seam splits, bent corners, loss of gloss, stains, etc.

GOOD ---- Well played with little luster and significant surface noise. Despite defects, record should still play all the way through without skipping. Several cover flaws will be apparent, but should not obliterate the artwork.

POOR ---- Any record or cover that does not qualify for the above "Good" grading should be seen as Poor. Several cover flaws.