08 May
Thoughts of... by Chico Hamilton
- Written by Mark Keresman
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There are bandleaders whose outfits have been "finishing schools" for jazz talent. Some better-known Headmasters include Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Herbie Mann, Miles Davis, Count Basie and to some extent Gil Evans, Gunter Hampel and Carla Bley. One of the more underrated of these is ace drummer Chico Hamilton - dig just a few of his alumni: Eric Dolphy, Joe Beck, Larry Coryell, Gabor Szabo, Arthur Blythe, Fred Katz, Paul Horn. Though Hamilton is 80, he shows no sign of slowing down - I caught him in concert a year or so ago and he plays with more vigor than many drummers half his age. He’s still cultivating young talent - fyi: current saxophonist Erik Lawrence is the son of alumnus Artie Lawrence. His latest offering Thoughts of.... is a tip-o’-the-hat to his history and a celebration of his present. Though it breaks no new ground, this is a set of easygoing but tight, accomplished, rhythmic, sometimes inspired fusion-inflected hard bop-rooted jazz. Miles’ "Freddie Freeloader" is given a jovial, jaunty, Saturday Night Strut treatment that never leaves behind the blues roots of the bop and cool schools. "PJ" is a lovingly retro slice of jivey funk (in a good way, that is), recalling Quincy Jones’ and Weather Report’s trips down Funk Ave. La Streisand’s "People" is drained of its lumbering Show Biz corn and is transmuted into a sparse, pensive, beautiful jazz ballad, like cheese into gold. Thoughts of.... is a virtual rarity in today’s lame-o, polarized musical clime: accessible without pandering, heartening jazz of considerable substance.
Additional Info
- Artist / Group Name: Chico Hamilton
- CD Title: Thoughts of...
- Genre: Contemporary Jazz / Modern
- Year Released: 2002
- Record Label: Koch Jazz
- Musicians: Chico Hamilton: drums, vocals; Larry Coryell, Rodney Jones, Joe Beck, Cary DeNigris: electric guitar; Erik Lawrence, Evan Schwam, Karolina Strassmayer: reeds; Paul Ramsey: electric bass.
- Label Website: http://www.kochentertainment.com
- Rating: Three Stars
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Contemporary Jazz - CD Reviews
