Chico Hamilton (1921-2013)

West Coast jazz drummer Chico Hamilton died Monday, November 25, in Manhattan at the age of 92. He is known for his “subtle and melodic” approach to drumming that featured mallets as well as sticks, and for a quintet he led between 1954 and 1959 that was unique in its instrumentation and its integration of jazz with classical music.

Foreststorn Hamilton was born on September 21, 1921 in Los Angeles. His brother was the actor Bernie Hamilton. The nickname “Chico” came from the fact that he was small in stature. At Jefferson High School, he studied with jazz teacher Sam Browne, where his classmates included Dexter Gordon, Charles Mingus and Buddy Collette. His first gig came in 1940 with Lionel Hampton's band, and he played with other swing bands such as Count Basie and Charlie Barnet. After serving in World War II, he worked as an accompanist to Lena Horne, and became immersed in the laid back “cool jazz” sound of Southern California.

He was an original member of baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan's pianoless quartet, which also featured Chet Baker on trumpet. Here's a brief sample.

Given the opportunity to record by Pacific Jazz, he formed a quintet in 1954 that consisted of Collette on flute and alto sax, Fred Katz on cello, Jim Hall on guitar and bassist Carson Smith. This is their 1956 version of “The Wind.”

Over the years, there were several personnel changes. Musicians who played with Hamilton's quintet included saxophonists Paul Horn, Eric Dolphy and Charles Lloyd, and guitarists Gabor Szabo and Larry Coryell. This clip from the 1959 film Jazz on a Summer's Day was recorded at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival and features Eric Dolphy on the flute.

Although it's now out-of-print, The Complete Pacific Jazz Recordings of the Chico Hamilton Quintet on Mosaic is highly recommended. He also recorded for Impulse, Columbia and Soul Note. When cool jazz lost favor in the '60s, Hamilton switched to a more aggressive, hard bop style. Here is his 1966 recording, “The Dealer,” featuring Coryell.

After writing soundtracks for The Sweet Smell of Success (1957) and Roman Polanski's Repulsion, Hamilton began producing film and television music. He led various groups through the '80s, and remained active until his death. He has a CD scheduled for release in 2014. He spent two decades teaching at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York. He received the Jazz Master award from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2004, and the Kennedy Center's Living Jazz Legend award in 2007. Here is an interview done in conjunction with the release of his 2009 CD, Twelve Tones of Love.

Marc Myers has posted a 3-part interview with Chico Hamilton focusing on his early years. Part 1 is here, and you can follow the links to the rest.

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Frank Wess (1922-2013)

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