About SJO
The Spokane Jazz Orchestra is a 17-piece ensemble made up of some of the best jazz musicians in the Northwest. Their concerts draw from the full range of jazz music – standards from icons like Count Basie and Duke Ellington – along with innovate arrangements of a wide range of music from pop to rock to bluegrass and more.
More than half of SJO members are college music professors, while several others are high school music teachers. Many have played professionally in big band touring groups and other jazz orchestras; others play in the Spokane Symphony Orchestra. All are dedicated to sharing their love of jazz music and giving the audience a great experience at every concert. Performances feature amazing solos and improvisation from highly accomplished musicians and talented guest artists.
About the Jeff Hamilton Trio
The Trio is widely considered to be one of the finest small groups in jazz, setting the bar for what a versatile trio can attain, with tight knit, and ever-swingin' creative arrangements of standards and original compositions. It is is made up of drummer Jeff Hamilton, pianist Tamir Hendelman and bassist Jon Hamar.
Jeff Hamilton is a dynamic bandleader and top tier jazz musician of incredible pedigree and is one of the most highly regarded drummers on the planet. In his twenties, he cut his teeth playing with Lionel Hampton, Monty Alexander and Woody Herman. In his thirties he performed with Ella Fitzgerald, the Count Basie Orchestra and Rosemary Clooney, and has since toured with Oscar Peterson and the Ray Brown trio and served as co-director of the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and toured the world many times leading The Jeff Hamilton Trio.
In addition to his iconic recordings with Ray Brown, Jeff is featured on nearly 200 recordings with artists such as Natalie Cole, Diana Krall, Milt Jackson, Rosemary Clooney, Barbara Streisand, Mel Torme and many others. He also appeared in Natalie Cole’s Great Performances PBS special and Unforgettable and an Oscar Peterson documentary, Life In The Key Of Oscar.
Bassist Jon Hamar is a versatile artist whose ability to find a tasteful, unique voice in any musical situation has made him a staple in the music scene. Jon was born and raised in Kennewick, Washington and grew up in a musical family. He began playing the string bass at age 11 and continued through public school playing in orchestra, jazz band and the local youth symphony.
Pianist and arranger Tamir Hendelman has received awards from ASCAP and the National Foundation For Advancement in the Arts, has served as musical director for Lovewell Institute for Creative Arts and as a clinician for the Thelonius Monk Institute. He began his keyboard studies at age 6 in Israel. When he was 12, his family moved to Los Angeles and two years later, Tamir won top honors at Yamaha’s national keyboard competition.
He completed studies at the Tanglewood Institue and the Eastman School of Music. He has worked with many artists including Tierney Sutton and Barbara Streisand.