Jimmy Hamilton; Clarinetist, Saxophonist in Duke Ellington’s Band

Jimmy Hamilton, 77, a clarinetist who was a key member of Duke Ellington’s reed section from 1943 to 1968. He also was a tenor sax soloist with Ellington and was known both for his sophisticated, delicate and controlled work on clarinet and his brash and brusque saxophone interpretations. His best-known Ellington solos include “Flippant Flurry,” “Honeysuckle Rose” and “Air Conditioned Jungle.” He retired to the Virgin Islands after leaving Ellington and had seldom been heard in public since. In St. Croix on Tuesdayof congestive heart failure.