Rob van Bavel: The Ghost, the King and I featuring Scott Hamilton & Strings

As near as can be deduced, The Ghost, the King and I is a Netherlands-based trio comprised of pianist Rob van Bavel, guitarist Vincent Koning and bassist Frans van Geest. After performing in concert with acclaimed American tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton and Salon de Musique, a three-member string group from South Korea, van Bavel and his teammates decided that the outcome was so auspicious that it simply had to be recorded.

And so it was, in October 2026, for an enthusiastic and appreciative audience at Studio 1 in Heuvellan, the Netherlands. While the respective trios are astute and engaging (Salon de Music appears on only three of the album's eight numbers), Hamilton is clearly the focal point, and he is one of the smoothest and most tasteful swing tenors ever bred. There are times when he is reminiscent of the greatest duo of them all, the sublimely-toned Stan Getz and ever-swinging Zoot Sims. There can be no higher compliment than that.

Even so, Hamilton has his own special voice and weaves lovely and impressive stories through his horn, breathing fresh life into van Bavel's admirable arrangements and letting the strings lead the way whenever that is appropriate. When Hamilton has the stage to himself, as he does with van Bavel and the trio on five numbers, he is cool as a winter breeze but somehow never stops swinging, starting with the upbeat standard "I Want to Be Happy" and continuing through the closing theme (with strings), Vernon Duke's elegant "Autumn in New York."

In between are Antonio Carlos Jobim's gentle bossa, "Eu Sei que Voe te Amar"; van Bavel's "Sergei & Bill" (based on the adagio from Sergei Rachmaninov's Symphony No. 2), which blends seamlessly into Phil Woods' fond tribute to the late pianist Bill Evans, "Goodbye Mr. Evans," Victor Young's carefree "Weaver of Dreams," and a brace of Cole Porter touchstones, "Everything I Love" and "In the Still of the Night." The strings perform on "Eu Sei que Voe te Amar" and "Sergei & Bill" as well as on "Autumn in New York."

A word must be said about van Bavel and the trio, and that word is exemplary. Hamilton could not have wished for a more discerning and compatible supporting cast—besides which, van Bavel is a perceptive and admirable soloist, as are Koning and van Geest. Together, they work tirelessly to make sure the concert is blemish-free, and their efforts are amply rewarded by a performance that is radiant and laudable from start to finish.

While Hamilton, the consummate professional, has a lot to do with that, he could not have managed it alone; props must be given to van Bavel, Koning and van Geest—by whatever name they choose to employ—and to Salon de Musique, which lends color and diversity to the trio of numbers on which it appears. Bottom line: an excellent album, one whose pleasures can be savored and applauded many times over,