3.0 out of 5 stars
Mediocre Introduction to Hamp, May 15, 2007
This review is from: Planet Jazz (Audio CD)
Sampling the career that witnessed the birth of swing and lasted into the 90's (!) should be hard to say the least, but that task is not even attempted at this compilation. However, since the recordings are either from 1939, 1940 or 1956, this is obviously not an overview of a phase in his career.
Among Hamp's classical recordings are definitively those in the Benny Goodman quartet, not represented here, so the compilation without them should better contain some great music.
That can be find here - small groups with (young and tallented pianist) Nat King Cole, the trumpets of Benny Carter and Ziggy Elman, saxes of Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster; Hamp plays some rhythimical piano in addition to vibes, but too much time is alloted to a single and not very significant session in Madrid in 1956.
Half of the CD is taken by an OK mix of classical and modern jazz with latin influences (Hamp's Sketches of Spain, one might say...). The most prominent Spanish participants on this session are the interesting pianist Tete Montoliu and not very functional (at least from jazz point of view) castanets player Maria Angelica...
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