By Marilyn Lester***Be it in a parade or concert hall, there’s nothing more thrilling than a wall of brass sound to jump start a music program. When the big sound of the powerful 20-piece Clayton
-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra (CHJO started off as the opener of 92NY’s Jazz in July 2025 edition, “Georgia on My Mind” (Hoagy Carmichael) was transformed into an all-out jazz swinger, full of creative ideas with the melody line held in effective solo spotlights. But, no surprise, this is a band with plenty of cohesion and a crowd-pleasing track record. LA-based, it was founded in 1986 by bassist John Clayton and drummer Jeff Hamilton, with the late reedist, Jeff Clayton.
While both Clayton and Hamilton hosted, the latter from the kit, it was Clayton who conducted out front, with an exuberant expansiveness that added an extra, large dollop of enjoyment to the excellent musical presentation. With a dynamic, style, Clayton’s chore
ography of movement as he led the band was joyously infectious. He’s also a master bassist, with a deep, evocative sound, and in his bowing has a soulful quality that’s transportive. Hamilton had his share of spotlight moments and a particularly sweet one was his intro into an easy swing rendition of “(Back Home Again in) Indiana” (James F. Hanley). A particularly delightful band feature was “Suatty Roo,” a CHJO staple, arranged by Clayton. The 1941 tune was written by Duke Ellington Orchestra star, alto player, Johnny Hodges; it’s a riff-based swinger and in the hands of the CHJO was a real toe-taping burner.
Also appearing on the bill was rhythm guitar master and vocalist John Pizzarelli, a frequent collaborator with the CHJO, esentially stemming 
from their 11-track 2006 album, Dear. Mr. Sinatra. In an, the “apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” way, like his father, the legendary guitarist, Bucky Pizzarelli, son John has an easy, engaging stage presence, and in addition to superior guitar chops, adds a smooth, friendly baritone to the talent package. He also has a quick wit and streak of humor that makes any Pizzarelli appearance total enjoyment. He opened with a Sinatra favorite, “Nice ‘n’ Easy” (Lew Spence, Marilyn and Alan Bergman), an easy ballad, followed by a swinging, fun version of “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby” (Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn) in which he applied his wondrous ability to scat like the dickens, matching his guitar picking.
A big, powerful horn intro led another swinging Sinatra favorite, “Ring-a-Ding-
Ding!”, written specifically for Sinatra by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn. Closing out a tremendously entertaining evening, Jazz in July Artistic Director, the uber-talented Aaron Diehl, took the piano chair for a band feature of a Latin-tinged “For All We Know” (J. Fred Coots). In a blazing outro, Pizzarelli returned to the stage for an all-too-short swinger, with all hands on deck, concluding a concert that’s sure to be history-making in the annals of Jazz in July.
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Photos by Richard Termine
