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Today's Featured Biography
Charlie Ray Hamilton
For twenty-eight years, Charles Hamilton was the Director of the world renown Berkeley High School Jazz Program.
He had been teaching music in the Berkeley Unified School District for ten years, already, when he was appointed to replace Phil Hardymon, who had developed the jazz program along with Herb Wong. During his tenure, he was the music teacher for many of the music industry's outstanding musicians, inspiring the likes of Joshua Redman, Thomas Pridgen, Justin Brown, Dave Ellis, Kito Gamble, Ambrose Akinmusire, Charlie Hunter, Billy Buss, Jonathan Finlayson, Sean Erick, Dayna Stevens, Charles and Tom Altura, Hitomi and Erica Oba, and others, too numerous to mention.
Charles performing career began in the mid-60's while still a teenager, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he played trumpet in his high school band by day, and in a back woods' night club's rhythm and blues band by night. He came to San Francisco in 1965. He haunted the Filmore District, listening to such greats as John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Cannonball Adderly, Freddie Hubbard, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, John Handy, the Charlie Mingus Big Band and many, many, many others. While attending San Francisco State, earning his Bachelor of Music Degree in Instrumental Music, with an emphasis in Education, he was also performing with the David Hardiman Big Band, Bill Bell Big Band, and with other local rhythm and blues bands. Though out his long teaching career, he never stopped being a performing musician, often playing in big bands, such as those led by Joe Henderson, Steve Allen, Bill Bell, Louie Bellson, Fred Barry, and with other artists, such as Herbert and Ronnie Laws.
He has performed in such world venues as Switzerland, the Netherlands, Viet Nam, France, Italy, Spain, Jordan, and China, often leading the tours.. He has twice been invited by the U. S. State Department to lead international goodwill tours as a cultural ambassador to such diverse places as the Jaresh International Cultural Festival in Amman, Jordan, and to Ho Chi Min City and Saigon in Viet Nam, and Bejing, Shanghai, and other cities in China.
He is only the second jazz educator ever to be awarded the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts "Distinguished Teachers in the Arts" award. While heading the Berkeley High School Jazz Program, his students were performers and winners at such prestigious events as the Monterey, Montreux (Switzerland), Yamano (Japan), Assisi, North Sea, Umbria, and Vienne Jazz Festivals, as well as performing in Paris, Rome, Florence, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and other cities in Japan. His students have performed in other honors bands, such as the San Francisco Jazz Festival High School All Star Band, the Monterey Jazz All Star High School Band, the Grammy Honors High School Band, and others. Students have won the Downbeat Student Awards in the categories of best soloist, best composer, best ensemble, etc.
He has taught for San Jose State University, Cañada Community College, and San Mateo Unified School District. Whether as soloists, music directors, producers, session musicians, educators, sidemen, or composers, in jazz, hip hop, rock, contemporary, or symphonic music, his former students are regularly sought after and frequently hired without auditions.
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