By John D. Gonzalez
WKTV Contributing Writer
It’s not blues or classic rock that will take center stage at Tuesday’s Concerts in the Park series in Wyoming.
It’s not a punk rock or country band, either.
It’s a cellist, and his name is Jordan Hamilton, where he will play “a mix of mastery and maverick musicality,” according to his bio.
In an interview with WKTV Journal, Hamilton – who is extremely humble – explained his style is not something you see every day.
“I have a hard time speaking about myself,” said the Kalamazoo-based vocalist and instrumentalist. “I have been told it’s an experience.”
Local music journalist John Sinkevics of LocalSpins.com agrees.
“Plucking, sawing, pounding and caressing the cello to extract sometimes other-worldly sounds; melding live looping with classical music interludes, hip hop, and jazz,” he said of Hamilton’s performance.
A native of Maryland who was classically trained on Western European composers, Hamilton, 29, started playing cello when he was 8-years-old. He learned all of the classics, but he was also introduced to a wide range of music by his dad, who listened to Earth, Wind & Fire, Sly and the Family Stone and Bobby McFerrin.
As he got older he would sneak off to listen to Nas, Fabulous and Jay-Z.
Still, he stayed focused on the cello.
After graduating from the Conservatory of Music at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio, he earned a Master’s degree in cello performance in 2018 at Western Michigan University. Hamilton remained in Kalamazoo mainly because of steady gigs, but was forced to stay longer during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Eventually he will leave Michigan for other opportunities “when the time is right,” he said. But for now, he loves playing his music and introducing audiences to the cello because “cello is at the center of everything” he does, he said.
“You don’t see a lot of cellos doing concerts that are not outside of the symphony….It’s definitely unique. It’s a niche.”
He will perform as a trio in Wyoming, bringing a keyboard player and drum programmer. He will play mainly original songs, as well as a few covers.
“You can expect a little bit of soul vibes, jazz vibes, beat music vibes, some very spacy vibes, and all over the place kind of vibes,” Hamilton said.
According to his bio, Hamilton’s music is “emotional energy crafted from integrity, immaterial and immortal, experienced at the speed of sound, with a bit of bounce, groove by the ounce, and all the jump you’ll need to move.”
More directly, he said, just “come to the show, and you will leave with something more than you were expecting.”
And “be prepared to have open ears,” he added. “It’s going to be a wide range of music, but it’s all going to feel like it’s in place…If you like jazz piano, hip hop beats and cello, this is a show for you.”
Hamilton performs at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 28 at Lamar Park in Wyoming. Admission is free. More info: Wyoming Concerts in the Park Facebook page.
The Tuesday night series continues through Aug. 2. All shows will be recorded and aired on WKTV. More info below.
READ: Wyoming Concerts in the Park return this summer
Learn more about Hamilton at jordanhamiltonmusic.com.
Wyoming Concerts Lineup
June 28 – Jordan Hamilton – Cellist
July 12 – Randy McAllister – Blues and Soul
July 19 – Monty Pride – Folk
July 26 – Bernadette Kathryn – Country
August 2 – Grupo Latin – Latin Soul (13 piece band)
Can’t make it to the show? You can still enjoy the bands by watching WKTV-Channel 25 for the weekly airings at 5 p.m. Wednesday and 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. Saturday.
More info at wktv.org/concerts.
John D. Gonzalez is a digital journalist with 30-plus years of experience as a food, travel, craft beer and arts & entertainment reporter based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also co-hosts the radio show and Podcast “Behind the Mitten,” which airs at 6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM and FM. Follow him on his journey to discover what’s next. You can find him on Twitter as @MichiganGonzo, on Instagram @MichiganGonzo and Facebook at @GRGonzo. He also relaunched his YouTube Channel. Email him story ideas and tips at michigangonzo@gmail.com.
