Fred Hamilton is a guitarist and bassist, and a Professor of Music in the Jazz Studies Division of the University of North Texas. He teaches guitar, jazz improvisation, rhythm section masterclass and directs the guitar ensembles. He is also on the faculty of the Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshops and the UNT Combo Camp. Since coming to Texas, he has performed with such artists as Bill Frisell, Dave Liebman, Cedar Walton, George Garzone, Mike Stern, Kenny Wheeler, The Brecker Brothers, Paul Wertico, James Moody, Joe Lovano, Bob Brookmeyer and John Abercrombie.
Beside a busy concert schedule at UNT with the jazz faculty and guest artists, he performs regularly with the Earl Harvin Trio and the ensemble Brahma. The Trio has released three CDs on the Leaning House label: Trio/Quartet, Strange Happy and Live at the Gypsy Tea Room. In 2001, Unincorporated was released on the Austin label Two Ohm Hop (twoohmhop.com). Brahma is a world music ensemble, which performs a fusion of jazz, South Indian, Arabic, and Balinese influenced music. In it, he plays acoustic guitars, banjo and slide guitars.
In 1989, shortly before joining the UNT faculty, while living in Denver, he was featured on two interesting albums. The first for the Rabbit Ears subsidiary of Windham Hill, with pianist Art Lande, Paul McCandless who was one of the founding members of the band Oregon and narration by actress Holly Hunter. Titled The Three Pigs and the Billy Goat's Gruff, it was part of a childrenžs series featuring original music and celebrity readings. The second was The Odd Couple with tenor saxophonist Spike Robinson and pianist Rob Mullins for the Capri label.
He has written several articles for Guitar Player magazine and has big band, combo and guitar ensemble music published with the University of Northern Colorado Jazz Press. Recently, he has begun a relationship with Mel Bay Publications Inc. Soon to be published is a book of melodic studies and compositions for guitar. Forthcoming will be a book and DVD on the philosophic and musical aspects of playing free jazz. A series of compositions written for the UNT L-5 Electric Guitar Ensemble will also be published soon. These have been recorded and released on The Quilt Master, a CD for the UNT jazz label and available through the website at www.music.unt.edu/jazz.
Denton, Texas and UNT have been home since 1989, and prior to that, he held positions on the faculty at Concordia College in Montreal (1984-85), St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia (1982-84), and Bowling Green State University in Ohio (1979-82). His M.M. in composition is from the University of Northern Colorado where he was a graduate teaching fellow from 1978 to 1979. Prior to that he played guitar and arranged for the Commanders Jazz Ensemble in the U.S. Air Force with the NORAD Command Band (1972-76).
During his formative years in Denver, Colorado, he studied for six years with Jim Atkins, original rhythm guitarist with the Les Paul Trio. The other influential guitarist in the Denver area during his youth was the legendary Johnny Smith.
|