Friday: Jeff Hamilton Trio

Friday night, Churchill Grounds welcomes the Jeff Hamilton Trio, a dynamic group of musicians featuring the excitable Tamir Hendelman on piano, Christoph Luty on bass and, of course, Hamilton on drums. I've seen countless performances by these guys over the years at the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival at the University of Idaho, and the group has always brought thoughtful, exciting improvisations — and Hamilton's omnipresent "I'll play the melody on my kit" party trick — to each show.

In September, Hamilton's group issued Symbiosis, an album full of unexpected arrangements of standard jazz fare and a few original compositions. The drummer and pianist also helped out on the debut release by guitarist Graham Dechter, a fellow member of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. While both CDs are very different — the latter presents Hamilton as an accompanist, and Symbiosis is the best of Hamilton in his element — the two discs should be viewed together as picture of Hamilton's versatility, a snapshot of the drummer's musical personality.

If you go to the concert, don't forget to tweet.

Oh yeah — Jeff Hamilton was a long-time member of the Ray Brown Trio. Check it out:




The Jeff Hamilton Trio. Friday; 9:30 p.m. Churchill Grounds. $20 with a $10 minimum.