JazzTimes (p.94) - "Hamilton wraps his butterscotch tone around an easy, midtempo swinging rendition of Fats Waller's 'Blue Turning Grey Over You' and Duke Ellington's sly, minor key swinger 'Cop Out'..."
Tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton is a jazz anomaly. While arguably John Coltrane or Wayne Shorter has influenced most jazz saxophonists of his generation, Hamilton sought inspiration in earlier sax icons such as Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, and Ben Webster. ACROSS THE TRACKS is an album of firsts for Hamilton (the Concord label's most prolific artist)--this is his debut session at legendary engineer Rudy Van Gelder's New Jersey studio as well as the first with blues guitarist (and longtime pal) Duke Robillard. With Gene Ludwig's organ providing a cushioning foundation, Robillard and Hamilton mesh wonderfully, befitting two master musicians drenched in the blues. TRACKS is another fine meat-and-potatoes blue-plate special of old-school ballads and bebop.