The musical line leading up to tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton is not confusing. He wears his influences on his sleeve. You hear Lester Young's phrasing, Ben Webster's languid tone, and more than a dash of Zoot Sims's overall presentation. And while 1989's Scott Hamilton Plays Ballads is a gorgeous showing off of these influences, Ballad Essentials is a magnificent overview of his smoldering command of the genre. There's a pair of tracks from Plays Ballads ("In a Sentimental Mood" played as limber, late-night swing and "Round Midnight" given a robust, big-hearted embrace) and a pair from With Strings. The other eight pieces come from all over Hamilton's catalog, and describing any particular tune would tax the vocabulary--"aching" and "tender" have only so many synonyms. Hamilton's sense of swing is easy to love, as is his brawny tone--even when it slips into whispering mode. Ballad Essentials is meant as a themed collection, and it not only succeeds as such, it also serves as a primer for Hamilton's whole output. --Andrew Bartlett