Jeff Hamilton Drums Up Support for Fellow Players

It’s a week for jazz drumming by a pair of Jeffs in the Southland’s major jazz venues. On Wednesday, Jeff Hamilton’s trio opened a three-night run at Catalina, countering the six-night appearance of Jeff “Tain” Watts’ quintet at the Jazz Bakery.

Hamilton, a co-leader of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, has long been regarded as one of the area’s prime rhythm section aces, a player with the versatility to move easily and effectively through arenas ranging from the larger-than-life demands of big-band drumming to small group work and vocal accompaniment. As the leader of his own trio--with pianist Tamir Hendlemen and bassist Christoph Luty--Hamilton faces more subtle responsibilities.

The first is to balance the call of leadership with the need to employ the drums as a supportive, rather than an upfront, voice. And, for the most part, Hamilton succeeded, often using brushes instead of sticks, almost always contributing accents and counter-rhythms to support the music. And one number--Dizzy Gillespie’s “Night in Tunisia”--was done as a pure drum solo, a perfect opportunity for Hamilton to open up his sound and volume, while almost literally articulating the shape of the melody on his drums and cymbals.

True, there were a few numbers in which Hamilton’s participation seemed a bit upfront, making it too apparent that the drummer was the leader of the band. But for the most part, he functioned similarly to bassist Ray Brown with his trio, playing the role of magisterial elder, providing a training ground for talented, emerging players.

And in Hendlemen, Hamilton has found a player with strong potential. Although he was a bit laid-back for the opening segments of the set, the young pianist finally began to hit his stride with a stirring set of choruses on Jimmy Giuffre’s big-band classic “Four Brothers,” a number rarely performed by small ensembles.

Luty, a dependable rhythm accompanist, also offered some impressive arco bow playing on an unusual Hamilton arrangement combining Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings” with “Isn’t It Romantic,” as well as during a climactic, closing blues number.

* The Jeff Hamilton Trio at Catalina Bar & Grill, tonight at 8:30 and 10. 1640 N. Cahuenga Blvd., (323) 466-2210. $12 cover and two-drink minimum.