Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Linley Hamilton Quintet: For The Record

Linley Hamilton Quintet: For The Record

By Ian Patterson
March 17, 2020
View read count

Linley Hamilton

trumpet
b.1965

" data-original-title="" title="">Linley Hamilton's fifth album is a cross-Atlantic affair. Alongside regular collaborators

Cian Boylan

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Cian Boylan and Derek 'Doc' O'Connor, the Irish trumpeter has enrolled the services of New York heavyweights

Adam Nussbaum

drums
b.1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Adam Nussbaum and

" data-original-title="" title="">Mark Egan—fellow instructors at the annual Sligo Jazz Project where Hamilton has long been a fixture. The quintet rounded off a short Northern Irish tour in 2019 with a session in Dublin's Camden Recording Studio which realized the music herein. As on Hamilton's Making Other Arrangements (Teddy D Records, 2018), Boylan's presence is significant, both as a composer—contributing two tracks and sharing writing credits with Hamilton on two more—and as an arranger. The music echoes soulful, Blue Note-era hard bop, with bright solos buoyed by in-the-pocket grooves.

Boylan's elegant piano intro to "Right Angle" gives way to a punchy motif, with Hamilton and O'Connor in tight unison. Short solos introduce the quintet members one by one, with O'Connor raising some steam as he goes toe to toe with Nussbaum. When not playing with the likes of Chaka Khan, Wet Wet Wet, Paul Brady or The Boomtown Rats, O'Connor serves the occasional reminder up and down Ireland of just what a good jazz saxophonist he is, as his passionate playing throughout these nine tracks attests.

Besides great chops, Egan and Nussbaum contribute a tune apiece. The bassist's "Sea Saw," from Truth Be Told (Wavetone Records, 2010), is workmanlike but never really achieves lift-off, despite some feisty stickwork from Nussbaum. The drummer's blues-drenched "Sure Would Baby," from his excellent tribute to Huddie William Leadbetter, The Lead Belly Project (Sunnyside Records, 2017), is altogether more satisfying, with lovely, tumbling piano and shimmering, Hammond-organ-esque textures underpinning a relay of fine solos. Arguably the album's standout track, however, is

Johnny Taylor

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Johnny Taylor's "Origin," a slower number of great melodic charm. Hamilton shines here, with Nussbaum on brushes lending nuanced support.

A tender interpretation of Paul McCartney's "And I Love Her" highlights Hamilton's balladeering finesse, but it's the two tunes to which he puts his own name that are more revealing. There's a hint of

Vince Guaraldi

piano
1928 - 1976

" data-original-title="" title="">Vince Guaraldi's Peanuts theme on the piano intro to Hamilton and Boylan's co-written "Split"—a handsome tune lent some swagger by O'Connor's gutsy intervention. The other Hamilton/Boylan number, the buoyant "Holly's Moment," has a celebratory feel with sunny solos all round, the ensemble driven by Nussbaum's propulsive brushes. These two numbers suggest that Hamilton, renowned on his home turf as a virtuoso soloist and a fine interpreter, is more of a tunesmith than he has previously let on.

Given all the musicians' busy diaries it might prove a challenge for Hamilton to maintain the cross-Atlantic connection going forward. Either way, and perhaps of more significance, is the fact that with not a jazz standard in sight For The Record marks a new chapter for Hamilton. Where Hamilton's muse will lead him next remains to be seen, but the journey, as ever with the Northern Irish trumpeter, will be worth following.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Right Angle; Mo' Hip; And I Love Her; Split; Origin; Sure Would Baby; Sea Saw; Holly's Moment.

Personnel

Linley Hamilton

trumpet

Adam Nussbaum

drums

Mark Egan

bass

Cian Boylan

piano

Derek O'Connor

saxophone

Album information

Title: For The Record | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: Teddy D Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Miles Davis and the Second Great Qui...
< Previous

The Jazz Label: Marc Free of Posi-To...
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.