Bassist Peter Dominguez Releases Groove Dreams on Oberlin Music

Late bassist Milt Hinton is celebrated for a stage and studio career that intersected with countless legendary musicians—from Dizzy Gillespie and Cab Calloway to Barbra Streisand and Willie Nelson—for an incredible seven decades.

Groove Dreams, a new recording by versatile bassist Peter Dominguez released on the Oberlin Music label, honors Hinton’s legacy with solo bass tunes from artists as varied as Duke Ellington, Stevie Wonder, Bill Evans, and Chick Corea. Performed on the 18th-century Italian bass Hinton played throughout his career, each song explores the nuances and deep colors of the instrument—qualities not always discernible in ensemble playing.

A renowned bassist and educator in his own right, Dominguez met Hinton in 1981 and won the inaugural Milton J. Hinton Scholarship Competition that same year. More than three decades later, Dominguez was instrumental in forging a relationship between the Hinton estate and Oberlin Conservatory, where he is a professor of jazz studies and double bass.

Oberlin’s relationship with the Hinton estate has grown to include a scholarship fund; an extensive collection of papers, films, and personal artifacts amassed by the Hintons; a biennial summer Institute for Studio Bass; photographs taken by Hinton throughout his career; and four basses formerly owned by Hinton that continue to be played by Oberlin faculty, students, and visiting artists.

“Words are not adequate to express the experience of playing Milt Hinton’s bass,” Dominguez says in the notes that accompany the recording. “We are ever mindful of its provenance and Milt’s enduring spirit that thrives within it.”

Distributed by Naxos of America, Groove Dreams was recorded in Clonick Hall at Oberlin Conservatory. It is available through select retailers and digital music channels worldwide.

Oberlin Music is the official label of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Learn more at oberlin.edu/oberlinmusic.