NEW RELEASE – THE GHOST, THE KING & I

Soothing swing ‘n’ strings from Holland’s finest and Great Scott.  

The music of Scott Hamilton has always gone down well in The Netherlands, not least because of cooperations with prime Dutch musicians, notably pianists Rein de Graaff and Rob van Bavel. Van Bavel is part of The Ghost, The King & I, a drum-less trio featuring guitarist Vincent Koning and bassist Frans van Geest dedicated to refreshing the American Songbook.

A high-quality coupling with Hamilton, our veteran with a sound as warm as the smoldering heat from the embers, a way of phrasing that equals your balanced steps on and off dune hills. Old-school art of the tenor that alternates warm-hearted ballads with mid-tempo swingers.

It’s always a joy to hear Hamilton build a story with ever-increasing tension, non-spectacularly in the good sense of the word, with Ben Webster-ish wit and heat. He’s matched by Van Bavel in I Want To Be Happy, who’s doing with two hands where others need four.

Great Scott and (Korean) strings has come off as envisioned by Van Bavel, a marriage of sophistication and romance, lemon and custard. All in all, top-rate mainstream stuff.

Check out The Ghost, The King & I Featuring Scott Hamilton on Rob’s website here: https://www.robvanbavel.com/