Hamilton

Chico Hamilton - Chico Hamilton Quintet (1955) {Pacific Jazz Japan TOCJ-5340 rel 1990}
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© 1955, 1990 Pacific Jazz / Toshiba-EMI Japan | TOCJ-5340
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Bop / Drums

An archetypal record from the west coast scene of the 50s – a sublime batch of lightly grooving numbers from Chico Hamilton's famous early Quintet! The power here really comes from a triad of three players – reedman Buddy Collette, playing flute, alto, tenor, and clarinet; guitarist Jim Hall, whose spacious use of his instrument set new standards with this record; and cellist Fred Katz, often an unsung hero whose gentle sound shapes really helped bring a sense of tone and color to the group. Also featured is bassist Carson Smith, giving the same great sensitive accompaniment here he did in Gerry Mulligan's early quartet – and Chico himself is on drums, of course, but often playing with unusual timings and touches that really make for a lot more than conventional rhythm!

Chico Hamilton - Chico Hamilton And The Players (1976) {2013 Japanese BNLA Series 24-bit Remaster TOCJ-50557}
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© 1976, 2013 Blue Note / EMI Music Japan | TOCJ-50557
Jazz / Hard Bop / Post Bop / Cool

Chico Hamilton in the 70s just can't miss – he's really changed loads from his mellow 50s work in LA, and has a tendency to go for a hard grooving sound – but also one that's slightly left of center than the work of most other 70s jazz drummers – and we mean that in a good way! This cooking set for Blue Note is a great example of that offbeat approach – a tight set of fusion tracks with a warm finish and an edgey approach to the rhythms – awash with some really compelling numbers that will have you hunting down the rest of Chico's work from the decade!

Jimmy Hamilton - Can't Help Swingin' (1961) {Prestige}
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© 1961 Prestige | 00025218521420
Jazz / Bop / Saxophone / Clarinet

Jimmy Hamilton spent 25 years (1943-68) with Duke Ellington's Orchestra, gaining recognition as a technically skilled cool-toned clarinetist and an occasional (but underused) booting tenor player. His own recording projects were very infrequent and his two Swingville LPs (reissued in full on this 1999 CD) were formerly very scarce. For one of the dates (originally called It's About Time), Hamilton is matched in a sextet with flugelhornist Clark Terry, trombonist Britt Woodman, pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Wendell Marshall and drummer Mel Lewis for a set of mostly blues.

For this Concord CD, tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton gave the readers of Japan's Swing Journal the opportunity to vote on which songs they would like him to record. With the exception of his original "Setagaya Serenade" (a stomping blues that Hamilton took the liberty of performing) and "Autumn Leaves," he had recorded all of these veteran songs previously, but Hamilton's melodic improvisations do not copy the earlier versions. With the assistance of an English rhythm section (pianist Brian Lemon, bassist Dave Green, and drummer Allan Ganley), Hamilton is in typically swinging form on this fine set of standards and ballads.

Scott Hamilton has never been an innovator, but he has certainly been consistent. "Groundbreaking" isn't a word you will ever hear in connection with the breathy tenor man, who has excelled by sticking with the type of 1940s-minded jazz that he's known for. Although recorded in 2000, Jazz Signatures never loses its swing-to-bop mindset…..