If Dreams Come True

If Dreams Come True CD (Jeff on piano in solos, duos and trios with guests; Dan Barrett, Bill Carter, Bobby Gordon, Bryan Shaw, Rebecca Kilgore, and Eddie Erickson) 1. Rosetta piano solo 3:00 2. I Surrender Dear Bryan Shaw, trumpet 4:22 3. If I Were You Dan Barrett, trombone Rebecca Kilgore, vocal 3:18 4. Moon Country Bryan Shaw, flugelhorn 3:43 5. I Wished On The Moon Rebecca Kilgore, vocal 4:03 6. No One Can Take Your Place Dan Barrett, trombone 4:51 7. Liza piano solo 3:09 8. My Ideal Rebecca Kilgore, vocal 3:10 9. Don't Be That Way Dan Barrett, cornet 3:46 10. Here's That Rainy Day Dan Barrett, trombone 4:35 11. What Is This Thing Called Love? Bobby Gordon, clarinet 4:05 12. Charmaine Bobby Gordon, clarinet 4:00 13. Blues Bill Carter, clarinet 5:07 14. If Dreams Come True Rebecca Kilgore, vocal Bobby Gordon, clarinet 5:08 15. Till There Was You Eddie Erickson, vocal Dan Barrett, trombone 5:00 16. My Silent Love Bobby Gordon, clarinet 4:05 17. Exactly Like You Bill Carter, clarinet 4:01 18. Isle Of Capri Bill Carter, clarinet 5:09 Total Time: 71:32 If Dreams Come True booklet review by Ray Skjelbred When I first met Jeff Hamilton in the late 1970's, he was busy absorbing the human condition with a sense of humor. He didn't take himself too seriously and spent most of his time laughing and having fun with his friends, sometimes hitting line drives in softball When I first met Jeffgames, sometimes windsurfing or sailing and sometimes playing music. In those days (and today as well) the jazz world mostly knew Jeff as a wonderful drummer, someone who listened well and played with skill and taste. Sometimes he also played trombone and occasionally I would hear him play a short burst of inspiration on the piano, never for long, but always beautifully done. It was kind of a secret art that mostly other musicians knew about, something that Jeff liked to do for personal reasons, not public acclaim. During the years since then, more and more people have become aware of Jeff's fine piano work and this CD, at last, demonstrates his strong, sensitive approach to playing the piano. However, many other things in Jeff's life haven't changed very much. He still likes to laugh and have fun with his friends and he still enjoys the absurdities of daily life, but he has made a wonderful CD because he also believes in beautiful melodies and chords that are layered over a strong, subtle rhythm. And if he doesn't take himself too seriously, he is serious about the art of playing music and recording for the right reasons. He doesn't think of this as quot;performing.quot; He's gathering together some friends whose music he loves and he wants to share that sense of camaraderie and commitment to beauty. That's it. That's the reason for playing. And I agree. Don't show off. Don't try to sell something to anyone. If you believe in what you are doing, if you do it for truth and beauty, and enough people like it as is, you just keep going and the art itself is the entertainment. You don't need any more. Jeff seems to love the processes of life and he involves himself with music the way he involves himself with travel and adventure. He is a paraglider pilot, he has done ultralight flying, and in his sailing he has raced Hobie Cats and was ranked 7th nationally and 11th in the world. It's the process, fun and adventure that matter, whether we are considering a daring sport or daring music. On this CD Jeff plays two solos, Liza (Gershwin) and Rosetta and also slides into part