The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra with John Pizzarelli at the 92NY Jazz in July

The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra with John Pizzarelli
Geffen Stage at Kaufmann Concert Hall, 92NY
Jazz in July
New York, NY
July 15, 2025

What's the perfect jazz concert for a sultry summer night? If short and swinging (and air conditioned) is your answer, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra delivered the goods at the 92nd Street Y Jazz in July Festival on Tuesday night. This was a direct and amiable big band performance, geared to a good time rather than a long time.

In a set that ran a little over an hour, the 19-piece CHJO strutted their relentless commitment to swing—no tricky time signatures or moody suites for this ensemble. They began with a punchy arrangement of "Georgia On My Mind" that immediately showcased the band's sharp dynamics and creamy brass sound.

The Los Angeles ensemble, now 40 years old, is anchored by the duo that gives it its name. Both co-leaders remain youthful in their early 70s. Drummer Jeff Hamilton is a master timekeeper who's easily underestimated. Practiced in a rhythmic style (sometimes called "rub-a-dub") that's more supportive than assertive, Hamilton laid a percussive carpet beneath the set's music that rarely drew attention to his playing. An exception was his soloing on "Back Home Again in Indiana," which he played almost entirely on brushes—no mean feat when driving a big band.

Co-leader John Clayton spent most of the set conducting the band. Wearing a permanent grin, he roamed the space in front of the band's white CHJO music stands, gesturing emphatically to guide what were mostly his own arrangements. His goofy charm and elegance made his repertoire of signals—like pulling a hand from his jacket and firing a faux pistol to begin a blast of brass—entertaining rather than distracting.

Clayton also deployed his multi-genre talents on bass (his resume includes a stint as principal bassist of the Amsterdam Philharmonic). He traded turns on bowed bass with lead alto player Keith Fiddmont during an arrangement of "And So It Goes," one of Billy Joel's more affecting ballads.

The band's first guest of the night, John Pizzarelli, is a long-time CHJO collaborator, having both toured extensively with the band and recorded the 2006 album "Dear Mr. Sinatra" with them—dedicated, of course, to the Chairman of the Board. Pizzarelli has a relatively small voice, and his best environments are smaller ensembles, like his own trio, in cosy cabarets. While his vocals charmed, they sometimes failed to hold their own against the CHJO's swaggering brass. The son of string stalwart Bucky Pizzarelli, the younger Pizzarelli is also a solid guitarist—as good an instrumentalist as a singer, in fact—but the brief program featured only a few choruses of his soloing.

As with Clayton, Pizzarelli has a warmth and wit that brightened the night. At one point, he recalled an 85th birthday celebration for his father held in the same auditorium, and noted that January would mark Bucky's 100th birthday. "He'll be back for that [celebration], by the way," Pizzarelli cracked. (His father died in 2020.)

While some capable solos came from within the CHJO ranks—including a fluid outing from trombonist Stephen Warren Baxter—the two best outings of the night came from special guests.

Terell Stafford played a blistering yet controlled trumpet solo on the (wonderfully titled) "Squatty Roo," a Johnny Hodges composition that Hamilton played during his years in the Ray Brown Trio. Then the artistic director of 92NY's Jazz in July Aaron Diehl took over the piano to bring the set home, with Pizzarelli joining in.

Diehl's playing on the two closing numbers was gorgeously economic. He was by turns lyrical and rhythmic—in the latter mode, he sometimes evoked the spareness of Count Basie, who was never averse to letting a lonely chord linger. The Diehl-dominated finale offered the perfect transition to Jazz In July's second big band program. On July 26, Diehl will be the featured soloist with the Secret Society ensemble led by his frequent collaborator Darcy James Argue.

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