Donna Byrne may not yet be a household name, but she's not exactly a well-kept secret, either. She's wowed fans and musicians alike for well over a decade. Tony Bennett, who came to see her at New York's famed Blue Note and Tavern on the Green, has proclaimed her "The real McCoy.one of the best young jazz singers in the country". Ruby Braff and Dave McKenna, among others, have called her often for concerts and tours. There hasn't been one musician who, after hearing her, hasn't asked, "Why isn't she better known"? The answer is far from mysterious: for twenty years, and until very recently, Donna Byrne has been fully engaged in raising three children, one with autism. That's not prevented her from enjoying a very full career, performing, teaching and giving clinics throughout the United States. A quick check of her website www.donnabyrne.com offers a complete catalogue of her many reviews and accolades by fellow performers.

In the 70’s and early 80’s when the American tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton was a young man, he met his share of skeptics. While his peers found their inspiration in the music of the modern masters, Hamilton was drawn towards the jazz giants of the past. But the fol- lowing years proved that Scott Hamilton was a musician of integrity with a personal approach to the virtues of classic jazz. His influences did not come from John Coltrane or Michael Brecker, but from Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young.
Hamilton picked up the tenor sax at the age of 17 in his hometown of Providence, Rhode Island. Ellington, Basie and other greats would pass by on their tours, and these experiences became the foundation of Hamilton’s career. Gradually the young musician began visiting New York to play a small concert here and there or just to listen. After performing at a private gathering one time, Hamilton dropped by Jimmy Ryan’s club to hear trumpeter Roy Eldridge. That event tur- ned out to be pivotal for him, and one of the happiest days in his life. Eldridge - always ready to jam - invited the young and hopeful sax- player on stage. From that moment on, Hamilton’s reputation grew. The seasoned jazz people (on stage and in the audience) were thrilled, and soon he was recording and touring. His laid-back, but virile swing made him a favorite with audiences, who were overjoyed to finally have found a musician who acknowledged the influence of the great swing masters.
Listening to his early releases (app. one every year plus various gigs as a sideman – most for the Concord label), one would not call the Scott Hamilton of the late 70’s and early 80’s an original musician. But since then, he has matured. It used to be easy to trace Webster, Flip Philips, Illinois Jacquet, Eddie Lockjaw Davis and Paul Gonsalves in his music, but today Hamilton is himself whether playing ballads, blues or bebop. Unpretentious and straightforward, his ego does not stand in the way of his rare joy in playing and his musical maturity. The music is what counts.
Hamilton has been a regular on the European jazz scene since the mid- 90s. After a few years in London, he settled in Firenze, facilitating jumps to regular stomping grounds in France, Spain and Italy.
No one acquainted with the playing of Ulf Wakenius, Jan Lundgren, Jesper Bodilsen or Kristian Leth – each much more than a respected name - will be surprised that they are a perfect match for Hamilton. Wakenius was a member of bass legend Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen’s trio for years and a regular member of Oscar Peterson’s late trios and quartets. Jan Lundgren has carved a niche for himself with a string of lovely CDs and is much in demand as a pianist. Jesper Bodilsen is one of the busiest and steadiest of the many fine Danish bassists (check out his releases with pianist Stefano Bollani and drum- mer Morten Lund). Kristian Leth is the up-and-coming man in this heavy company, but he is the perfect backbone for the Scott Hamilton Scandinavian 5, contributing to the special swing that makes the band such a smooth entity.

Bucky Pizzarelli has given the world of music many things, including two sons – John (guitar) and Martin (bass) – who feature prominently in today’s world of jazz. Born in 1926, Bucky is still going strong at eighty-eight years of age and is noted for his amazing skills as a rhythm guitar player, something he seems to have passed along to his son, John. Bucky has a strong affinity for guitar compositions of the 1930s, when jazz and dance music were brilliantly combined by the likes of Carl Kress and George Van Eps.

Bucky Played a Unique Instrument

Bucky brought one other item of note to the world of modern guitar: the 7-string electric guitar, which he played almost exclusively. He first encountered the 7-string via George Van Eps, adopting not only that instrument but also George’s renowned chord progressions that were used as solos in place of single-note runs. The chord solo has since become a standard soloing style in guitar jazz and something John Pizarelli is known for.

A Little 7 String History

For those nouveau rock guitarists who think that maybe Steve Via is responsible for the 7-string electric guitar, now you know better. We have George Van Epps and Bucky Pizzarelli to thank. Incidentally, 7-string acoustic guitars have been in use for over 150 years, having come to prominence in early-19th-century Russia and Western Europe. Van Eps had a custom 7-string electric built for him by Epiphone in the 1930s, while Bucky’s preferred instruments are built by Robert Benedetto. Finally, yes…Steve Vai is responsible for the first mass-produced electric, solid-body, 7-string guitar, the Ibanez UV-7.