He emerged in the 1970s and at the time he was considered to be one of the few musicians of real talent who carried the tradition of the classic jazz tenor saxophone in the style of Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins as well as Zoot Sims and Don Byas forward. He began playing in various rhythm & blues outfits in Providence (Rhode Island), but subsequently shifted to jazz and the tenor saxophone. In 1976 he moved to New York City at, in part the recommendation of Roy Eldridge. He there joined Benny Goodman for a period of time. During this time, he also developed an alcohol problem.,[1] In the early 1980's he had formed his own quintet and toured all over the world. By then free from his drinking habit, in 1982 he had matured sufficiently to be able to break away from the spell of mainly Ben Webster and Zoot Sims, of whom he had been criticized of imitating. From this point on both his playing and his tone was very much his own.
Living in New York City, he toured all around the world during the 1980's, playing Japan and all over Europe. He was in particular a recurrent visitor to the UK, Sweden and the Grand Parade du Jazz, held in Nice, France. By the early 1990's he was ready for a next step and by 1994 when he released Organic Duke, he had developed a quite singular style: a large, well rounded but still focused tone and improvising, ostensibly still based on the swing idiom (especially Ellington), but incorporating more modern elements. During this period, he relocated to London, and formed his current quartet, featuring John Pearce (p), Dave Green (b) and Steve Brown (dr). He is currently active touring all over Europe.
He has had over forty albums as a lead most on the Concord Records label.
'Round Midnight
Scott Hamilton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Round midnight, midnight
I do pretty well, till after sundown
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad
But it really gets bad
'Round midnight
Memories always start 'round midnight
When my heart is still with you
And ol' midnight knows it, too
When a quarrel we had needs mending
Does it mean that our love is ending
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
You're out of my heart
And I'm out of my mind
Let our hearts take wings'
'Round midnight, midnight
Let the angels sing
For your returning
Till our love is safe and sound
And old midnight comes around
Feelin' sad
Really gets bad
Round, Round, Round Midnight
The lyrics of "Round Midnight" by Scott Hamilton express the feelings of longing and sadness that arise at night, particularly around midnight, when memories of lost love tend to resurface. The first stanza describes how the singer manages to cope during the day, but when suppertime comes around, their sadness deepens to the point of despair. The memories of past love are so intense that they cannot bear to confront them.
The second stanza implies that the singer is hoping to rekindle a lost love. Despite having had a quarrel, they are still pining for their ex-partner, but they are uncertain about their feelings. They wonder whether the disagreement they had means the end of their love, and express their need for their ex-partner. They are both out of their mind and out of their heart.
The third stanza is a plea to the ex-partner to return so that they can fix the broken relationship. The singer wants to feel their love again and hopes that this time it will be safe and sound. The mention of the angels singing adds to the melancholic atmosphere of the song, as if the singer is praying for a miracle to bring back their lost love.
Line by Line Meaning
It begins to tell
The story begins with the start of the night
'Round midnight, midnight
The time is around midnight, when loneliness and sadness creeps in
I do pretty well, till after sundown
I am happy and contented till the sun goes down
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad
As night deepens, I start feeling melancholic and blue
But it really gets bad
As the night progresses, my sadness intensifies
'Round midnight
I am at my most vulnerable point when the clock strikes midnight
Memories always start 'round midnight
As soon as the night sets in, the memories of past relationships haunt me
Haven't got the heart to stand those memories
I am unable to confront those memories, they are too painful
When my heart is still with you
My heart is still holding on to you even after all this time
And ol' midnight knows it, too
Even the night understands my heartache and loneliness
When a quarrel we had needs mending
When we have an argument that needs to be resolved
Does it mean that our love is ending
I am afraid that our love is slowly deteriorating
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
I yearn for you, I am feeling incomplete without you
You're out of my heart
I am losing my love for you
And I'm out of my mind
I am going crazy without you
Let our hearts take wings'
Let's give our love another chance
'Round midnight, midnight
At midnight, when everything seems bleak and dark
Let the angels sing
Let the heavenly beings guide us to love and happiness
For your returning
I hope for your return and our reconciliation
Till our love is safe and sound
Until our love is rekindled and secured
And old midnight comes around
When midnight strikes again
Feelin' sad
If we are still apart, I will be sad again
Really gets bad
I will be in despair if we do not reunite
Round, Round, Round Midnight
The cycle of sadness and loneliness repeats itself every midnight
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cootie Williams, Bernard D Hanighen, Theolonious S Monk
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Emilio Giak
Meravigliosa esecuzione. Grande Scott il tuo stile non ha concorrenti
Jay DeLuca
Grew up in the same home town as Scott and first heard him in his teens. After the first thirty seconds I knew he was destined for greatness. He sounded nearly as good at nineteen as he does now.
Arturo
Rhode Island ha? Do you also like Harry Allen? Another Rhode Islander a bit younger. Always wondered when they first met each other.
Dave Aaron
Absolutely beautiful solo# Beautiful tone. One of the greatest tenor sax man#
Dave Aaron
What is there to say? Perfect tone. Beautiful improvisation I have heard it several times and it’s always like the first time.Seen him a few times .One of the greatest Tenor saxophonist. Good as Getz or Warne Marsh ##
jacques deghorain
je le crois aussi , mais Scott Hamilton a toujours été un homme très modeste. C'est pour cela qu'il n'a pas été assez vite reconnu comme un des tout grands saxo-ténors de son époque . Mais il est occupé à rattraper son retard , c'est formidable pour lui , et ce n'est que justice !
MrJazzohjazz
Scott brings much to the table. Tone and creativity is superb. Underrated in my book.
jacques deghorain
formidable d'oser le remarquer !......Scott Hamilton n'a jamais bien su se vendre , c'est un tendre............
Stefan Maß
What a smooth sound! I like it!
Bienvenido Gonzalez
Gran maestro del saxophone , Scott Hamilton , bellizima pieza musical , gracias yoichiro tani !