Frank Vignola and the Virtuoso Band is coming up next! - Monday, Oct. 24, 2011 at the Capitol Theater in Salt Lake City, Utah

JazzSLC begins new season and new era tonight in new venue - Dave Burger's Article in the Salt Lake Tribune -  Oct 12, 2011 

 The Capitol Theater - Salt Lake City, Utah

 

The Jeff Hamilton Trio

Sheraton Hotels & Resorts’ current ad campaign includes the slogan, “Meet You There.”

But the Sheraton Hotel in Salt Lake City and Salt Lake City’s premier jazz organization, The GAM Foundation, will not meet up this season, for the first time in the series’ 18 years.

The two have parted ways, and instead of the concerts being held at the Sheraton this season, all of the concerts will be held at the Capitol Theatre in downtown Salt Lake City.

“We are thrilled to be here,” said Gordon Hanks, leader of The GAM Foundation. “The artists love it.”

The GAM Foundation tried to move the series from the Sheraton to the Capitol about a decade ago, Hanks said, but were unable to work out the dates at the time. But the move has finally been made, and Hanks said he was ecstatic about what he called an upgrade in sightlines, acoustics and production qualities. (And if you ever attended a jazz concert at the Sheraton, you surely noticed that you had less leg room than an economy-class seat on an airplane.)

Season-ticket holders must be excited, too, as all 320 of them have renewed their subscriptions, Hanks said, with an additional 80 more buying season subscriptions.

The Capitol will also be able to accommodate more audience members, although for now plans are for only the main floor to be occupied, and not the balconies. The Capitol can fit 1,180 on the main floor, while the Sheraton could fit 1,050. Audiences ranged from about 800 to 1,000 last year, Hanks said.

Virtuoso drummer Jeff Hamilton, who has performed a half-dozen times at the Sheraton, will be the debut musician of this year’s series, which will include seven shows from this Tuesday through April. (Hanks said successive seasons will include more shows, with the 2012-2013 season already set with 10 shows.)

Hamilton, a frequent Salt Lake City visitor, said in an interview that the Capitol’s “size is perfect for what we do. ... The acoustics are designed for music that isn’t [overly] amplified.”

Hamilton will bring his trio with him to perform, including pianist Tamir Hendelman and bassist Christoph Luty, both of whom have been in Hamilton’s trio for 10 years. While Hamilton splits much of his playing sessions with artists including Diana Krall and co-leading the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, playing with his trio is one of Hamilton’s favorite pursuits.
“In a trio, you’re exposed as a musician,” he said. “Everything you do is going to be noticed. You’re exposed at all times. There is a purity to the music. You can get down to a whisper where the audience is on the edge of their sets, but we can also unload on the volume.”

Playing with a trio allows Hamilton to fulfill what has been one of his guiding principles over the years — playing with intensity at a low volume.

Hamilton can pound with the best of them, though, when the music calls for it, leading some to call him “The Hammer.” He was able to clear up one misconception during the interview. His 1994 debut album was called “It’s Hamilton Time,” which some assumed was an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of another Hammer — MC Hammer. MC Hammer was known to spout off, “It’s Hammer Time.”

But Hamilton insisted that the rapper’s crescendo in popularity at the time had nothing to do with the title. After playing as a sideman for years, Hamilton simply wanted to introduce himself as a solo artist, and in the cover photo, Hamilton was wearing a Hamilton Watch.

But isn’t the MC Hammer story a better one?

GAM Foundation’s Jazz SLC 2011-2012 season
Location • All events are at the Capitol Theater, 50 W. 200 South, in Salt Lake City. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets • Prices are $25 to $35 and are available at ArtTix.org or by calling 801-278-0235. Student tickets with ID are $10.
Tuesday, Oct. 11 • Jeff Hamilton Trio
Monday, Oct. 24 • Frank Vignola and the Virtuoso Band
Monday, Nov. 21 • New York Voices
Wednesday, Feb. 1 • Terence Blanchard Quintet
Monday, Feb. 20 • Jane Monheit
Monday, March 19 • Kenny Barron Quintet
Monday, April 9 • Michael Camilo Latin Trio
JazzSLC is a nonprofit, concert series funded and produced by The GAM Foundation, an organization established in 1994 to increase the awareness, appreciation and popularity of jazz in the Utah community.

Link to Dave Burger's Article in the Salt Lake Tribune:

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsburger/52705776-53/hamilton-sheraton-capitol-hammer.html.csp