Caribbean warmth in Birmingham

Caribbean warmth in Birmingham

Jamaica by Night

Andy Hamilton

World Circuit through Larrikin Entertainment

Reviewed by Norm Dixon

Hailing from Port Maria, a little fishing village on Jamaica's north coast, and a resident of industrial Birmingham in England since the late 1940s, veteran saxophonist Andy Hamilton has created an album that radiates warmth and vitality from the moment you press "play". Just close your eyes and listen as his rich, sweet tones wash over you. I love this album.

You can just imagine how Hamilton's melodic calypso/ska, stiffened with a hard bop jazz edge, has brought a welcome glow into clubs and pubs of northern England during many bleak winters. Hamilton discreetly achieves what many others have only loudly promised to do: fuse the rhythms of the Caribbean with jazz. While not as adventurous as some may prefer, it is thoroughly engaging.

Hamilton was among the first wave of the economic migrants to Britain from Jamaica and the the other islands of the English-speaking Caribbean. Like his fellow migrants, Hamilton faced racism from the start. Local musicians attempted to freeze him from the scene, and Mosleyite fascist thugs attacked him.

Today, the African-Caribbean community in Britain numbers over 700,000. Black youth have begun to actively search for inspiration from the achievements and experiences of earlier generations of African-Caribbean. The talents of Andy Hamilton and the recordings of the tragically ignored sax genius, the late Joe Harriot, have inspired young lions of the British jazz scene like Courtney Pine, Ronnie Jordan and Jean Toussaint. The enthusiasm of this generation for their too-long-forgotten predecessors led to Hamilton being offered his first album in 1991 at the age of 72!

Four years later, Jamaica by Night proves he has lost none of his prowess. One particularly attractive feature of the album is the prominent Afro-Cuban rhythms on many tracks, reflecting the cultural interchange between Jamaica and Cuba that the young Hamilton was unable to resist.

Sierra Maestra's Jesus Allemany provides his trademark trumpet blasts on the title track. Departing from the calypso theme, Hamilton's saxophone provides a heartbreaking rendition the old blues classic "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen". Vying with "Jamaica by Night" as the album's best track is "Otrum", a fascinating duet between Hamilton's sax and percussionist Patato's driving Brazilian beats.

From GLW issue 186