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.
A Beautiful Friendship
Scott Hamilton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It ended a moment ago.
This is the end of a beautiful friendship,
I know,
'Cause your eyes told me so.
We've always been
Like sister and brother,
When we looked at each other.
That was the end of a beautiful friendship,
And just the beginning of love.
That was the end of a beautiful friendship,
And just the beginning of love!
The lyrics of Scott Hamilton's song "Maybe September" are emotional and introspective. In the song, the ending of a close friendship is described as being as sudden and jarring as a change in the seasons, specifically from the end of summer to the start of autumn ("Maybe September"). The singer expresses the pain of realizing that they have lost someone dear to them, and the moment when they realized this loss is described as the end of a beautiful friendship. They had always been close as siblings, but something changed and their gaze met in a new way, signaling the start of a romantic love.
The lyrics contain a lot of subtext and unspoken feelings. The line "your eyes told me so" suggests that the singer may have been picking up on some non-verbal cues that indicated a shift in their relationship. Alternatively, it could be that the singer is projecting their own feelings onto their friend's expression. The fact that the relationship had always been likened to a familial one also adds another layer of complexity to the emotions involved - there may be a sense of confusion or guilt over feeling romantic love for someone who was previously seen as a sibling figure.
Overall, "Maybe September" is a poignant ballad that captures the bittersweet feeling of falling in love while also mourning the loss of a significant friendship. The lyrics are carefully crafted to convey a sense of longing and regret, and the melody underscores the emotional weight of the words. This is a song that invites listeners to reflect on their own past relationships and the moments when things shifted unexpectedly.
Line by Line Meaning
This is the end of a beautiful friendship,
Our close relationship has come to an end.
It ended a moment ago.
Our relationship has ended recently.
This is the end of a beautiful friendship,
Our close relationship has come to an end.
I know,
I am certain that our relationship has ended.
'Cause your eyes told me so.
I can see in your eyes that our relationship has ended.
We've always been
Our relationship has been consistently
Like sister and brother,
Our relationship has been like that of family members.
Until tonight,
Until this moment.
When we looked at each other.
When we made eye contact with each other.
That was the end of a beautiful friendship,
That moment marked the end of our close relationship.
And just the beginning of love.
That moment also marked the beginning of romantic love between us.
That was the end of a beautiful friendship,
That moment marked the end of our close relationship.
And just the beginning of love!
That moment also marked the beginning of romantic love between us.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DONALD KAHN, STANLEY H. STYNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind