Scott Hamilton, Mike Renzi, Artie Cabral, Marshall Wood and Donna Byrne at Providence Marriott

by Bill Falk

Scott Hamilton returned to his native Providence after several years. Appearing at the
Providence Marriott with other immortal RI musicians Mike Renzi (piano), Artie Cabral
(drums) plus MA stars Marshall Wood (bass) and Donna Byrne (vocals), they treated a sold-out crowd to some terrific music.

The music got better and better during the performance, and the crowd reacted by
loudly applauding solo after solo. Scott was at his best, leading the group through
a variety of jazz standards. He displayed his brilliance soloing – producing the great
sax sound he is famous for as he improvised on ballads and jump tunes. Scott also blended in nicely as the others soloed.

Mike Renzi, famous as Tony Bennett’s arranger and pianist, exhibited his unusual style. He produces great jazz with a flourish. Artie Cabral on drums amazes with his quick hands. He keeps the beat marvelously and solos well without showing a lot of effort.
Of course, Marshall Wood was marvelous on bass. He makes the instrument sing, much as Scott does the sax.

Donna Byrne rocked the crowd as she belted out some fast paced melodies. She showed great versatility by performing well on ballads also. The group backed her
exceedingly well as she sang. Donna was the icing on the cake – contributing nicely to
a great overall performance of the group.

I found it interesting that an estimated audience of 400 people showed up. It’s great to
see so many jazz fans attend this phenomenal show.