Jeff Hamilton Trio

Thu, Aug 07

Jeff Hamilton — drums Jon Hamar — bass Tadataka Unno — piano Jeff Hamilton was born in Richmond, Indiana. He attended Indiana University and later studied with John Von Ohlen. Hamilton was influenced by Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Mel Lewis, “Philly” Joe Jones, and Shelly Manne. In 1974, he received his first major break by playing with the New Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. He then joined Lionel Hampton’s Band until 1975, when he, along with bassist John Clayton, became a member of the Monty Alexander Trio. He attained a childhood goal in 1977 when he joined Woody Herman and the Thundering Herd, with whom he made several recordings. In 1978, he was offered a position in the L.A. 4 with Ray Brown, Bud Shank, and Laurindo Almeida. He recorded 6 albums with the L.A.4. From 1983 to 1987, he performed with Ella Fitzgerald, the Count Basie Orchestra, Rosemary Clooney, and Monty Alexander. Hamilton began his association with the Ray Brown Trio in 1988 and left in March of 1995 to concentrate on his own trio. From 1990-1995, he was also a member of the Oscar Peterson Quartet w/Herb Ellis and Ray Brown. Jeff has released several trio CDs, including the most recent Catch Me If You Can, and a holiday recording, Merry and Bright. The Los Angelous Jazz Society named Hamilton and his musical partner, John Clayton, musicians of the year for 2006. Hamilton has toured with his own trio, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, and Diana Krall. The latest CHJO recording, LA Treasures, was nominated for a GRAMMY. Hamilton has been on more than 300 recordings with artists such as Ray Brown, Natalie Cole, Diana Krall, Milt Jackson, Rosemary Clooney, Barbra Streisand, Mel Torme, John Pizzarelli, Benny Carter, Lalo Schifrin, George Shearing, Dr. John, Clark Terry, Gene Harris, Toshiko Akioshi, Scott Hamilton, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Keely Smith, Bill Holman, Herb Ellis, Barney Kessel, Paul McCartney, Queen Latifah, Gladys Knight, Mark Murphy, Wilford Brimley and Scott Hamilton. He appeared in Diana Krall’s Live in Paris and Rio DVDs. He also appeared in Natalie Cole’s Great Performances PBS special, Unforgettable, and an Oscar Peterson documentary, Life In The Key Of Oscar. He is a four-time winner of Modern Drummer magazine's Readers’ Poll. In 2014, Hamilton was inducted into the Jazz Cruise Hall of Fame. Along with John and Gerald Clayton, Jeff was the 2017 Monterey Jazz Festival Artist In Residence and recipient of the 2018 Louis Armstrong award from the Sarasota Jazz Society. Jeff currently focuses on performing with The Jeff Hamilton Trio, The Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, and Akiko Tsuruga in an Organ Trio. Jon Hamar was born and raised in Kennewick, Washington, and grew up in a musical family. He began playing the string bass at the age of 11 and continued through public school, participating in the orchestra, jazz band, and the local youth symphony. Jon earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Classical Double Bass Performance from Eastern Washington University under the tutelage of Russian bassist Roma Vayspapir. While in Spokane, Hamar played in University ensembles as well as the Spokane Symphony and the Bob Curnow Big Band. Hamar continued to the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he graduated with a Master’s degree in Jazz and Contemporary Media in 2001. While at Eastman, Jon studied the bass with Jeff Campbell and James VanDemark and worked closely with Harold Danko, Fred Sturm, and Clay Jenkins. Jon has performed with Ernestine Anderson, Benny Golson, Terell Stafford, Pete Christlieb, the Jeff Hamilton Trio, and the Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. In 2012, Jon joined the faculty at the Centrum Jazz Workshop under Artistic Director John Clayton, and in 2015, joined the faculty at the University of Tennessee. Hamar is currently Assistant Professor of Bass at the Nathalie L. Haslam School of Music in Knoxville, Tennessee. Jon began performing with the Jeff Hamilton Trio in July of 2018 and recently toured Europe with the Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Jeff Hamilton and John Clayton, featuring renowned vocalist Cecil McLaren Salvant. Tadataka Unno, born in 1980 in Tokyo, Japan, is a distinguished jazz pianist with an expressive style. He began playing the piano at the age of four and discovered jazz at the age of nine. Unno studied at Tokyo University of the Arts and was an active member of the Tokyo jazz scene. In 2008, he moved to New York and quickly earned the respect of prominent jazz figures. He became a favorite of jazz legends like Hank Jones, Frank Wess, and Jimmy Cobb. Notably, he was the first and only regular Japanese member of the Jimmy Cobb Trio and the Roy Hargrove Quintet. He has performed with John Pizzarelli, Jimmy Heath, Sadao Watanabe, Houston Person, Frank Wes, Clifton Anderson, Jazzmeia Horn, Winard Harper, Russel Malone, and other jazz greats. Tadataka was featured in the 2021 NHK Special, “This Wonderful World,” and in March 2022, he released “Get My Mojo Back” on Verve Records. It received widespread acclaim as one of Japan’s best-selling jazz albums of the year. In 2025, Jeff Hamilton invited him to join his trio. If the total amount of beverages purchased by the party does not meet the minimum, a $15 drink/food minimum is charged per person in the party, per set. Important Notices: If you do not check in by 15 minutes into the start of the set, we reserve the right to resell your seats with no refund. Tickets for this performance are non-refundable. If you are unable to attend, a one-time transfer to a future show of equal value will be accepted. The transfer must be requested at least 24 hours prior to the performance's start time.