The Scott Hamilton Quintet - In Concert (1990)

By 1983, Scott Hamilton had evolved from being a novelty (a young swing musician in the 1970s) to a solid part of the mainstream establishment. A certain excitement tended to be lacking from his performances (he never exploded like his idol Illinois Jacquet), and his predictable excellence was starting to be taken a bit for granted. This outing with guitarist Chris Flory, pianist John Bunch, bassist Phil Flanigan, and drummer Chuck Riggs (the first of two CDs) has the usual mixture of swinging medium-tempo tunes, warm ballads, and a couple of stomps ("I've Found a New Baby" and "One O'Clock Jump"). Well-played and enjoyable music with few surprises. -- Scott Yanow