Michael Hamilton

Michael Hamilton stands as one of the most phenomenonal local (Boston) artists and is swiftly rising to be tomorrow's super success story. He is receiving tremendous audience responses for the electric traditional and contemporary jazz grooves he creates, making his debut album, Natural Attraction in June 1997.

Born in Fort Hood, Texas in 1969 to a father who was in the military, Hamilton spent much of his childhood growing up in different parts of the world, in places as far as Germany to as close as Georgia.

As soon as he began studying saxophone, which his father chose for him, he has never parted from making music his life. He remembers, "When I was around ten, my older brother was playing in the school symphonic orchestra with French horn, which was the instrument my father had chosen for him, and the incredible sounds they made that night just really overwhelmed me to the point that I started to cry."

Even as early as grade school, he was consistently voted the Most Promising Music Student. In his high school's history, he was the only student in fifteen years to make the all-regional band with his saxophone skills. He graduated from Berklee College of Music on a full four year scholarship in 1994 and quickly swept up awards such as the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award and the Outstanding Achievement Award in Instrumental Performance. "I was heavily influenced by the rhythm & blues group, Earth, Wind & Fire when I was young. They wrote their own music, and the way they blended so many instruments and vocals together -- that became the direction I took myself. So now I write, play, sing and even produce my own music," says Hamilton. In addition to the saxophone, Hamilton also plays keys, bass and drums. His music has been described as, "a skillful combination of rhythm & blues, funk and contemporary jazz... an exceptional compilation of songs [that] proves that Hamilton has a great future," by Kenneth Yarbrough of Boston's WUMB-FM. His performance has been enthusiastically acclaimed by Cheryl Straughter, proprietor of Boston's jazz nightspot, Keith's Place, as "absolutely one of the best shows we've ever had... he gives an incredibly blistering phenomenal performance." His album is valued by Ronald Solano of Tower Records, Boston as "an astounding CD by an artist who isn't even on a major label but has surpassed more sales than some of our more recognized artists on a major label -- Michael Hamilton's Natural Attraction is truely one of the most remarkable recording debuts of all time." Highlights from recent engagements before concentrating on his own work include touring in concert with Norman Connors and performing with Larry Watson and Friends to open for Al Green's concert at Boston's Harborlights. In 1992 he performed in the Montreal Jazz Festival and at invitation, he has also performed for the cast of Broadway touring productions such as Tommy and Jesus Christ Superstar. He arranged the additional production and provided saxophone for CTI's compilation, Thus Spoke Z. Other album projects include providing saxophone for Motown Record's Zhane and Groves Theory, Warner Brothers' the Winans, Polygram Records' Jemicia and the Keep Cool soundtrack. In January '98, Michael Hamilton toured the U.S. with engagements in New York, Texas and California. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California where he is both promoting his debut album and working on a second album.