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Chico Hamilton
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- For the English footballer nicknamed Chico Hamilton, see Ian Hamilton
Chico Hamilton (Foreststorn Hamilton) (September 21 1921, Los Angeles) is a jazz drummer.
He was born in Los Angeles in 1921 and was raised locally as the Central Avenue jazz scene was beginning to coalesce. In the 1940s, he performed with Lionel Hampton, Duke Ellington and Count Basie. He appears in the March Milastaire number in the film You'll Never Get Rich (1941) as part of the backing group supporting Fred Astaire. He was one of the original members of the Gerry Mulligan quartet of the early 1950s. During the late 1950s, Hamilton pioneered a style sometimes called chamber jazz. He performed on the soundtrack of the Bing Crosby/Bob Hope film Road to Bali and on a number of tours with Lena Horne. Hamilton can also be seen playing himself in a supporting part next to Tony Curtis and Burt Lancaster in the 1957 film Sweet Smell of Success. In 1958, he brought Eric Dolphy to wider prominence.
The group changed directions in the
1960s. New talents such as
saxophonist Charles Lloyd and
guitarists Gabor Szabo and
Larry Coryell started out performing with him. He composed the soundtracks for films such as
Roman Polanski's "Repulsion".
Over the years, Hamilton has performed with legendary artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Nat King Cole.
Discography
- 1955 Chico Hamilton Trio
- 1955 Chico Hamilton Quintet feat. Buddy Collette
- 1960 Original Chico Hamilton Quintet
- 1956 Chico Hamilton Quintet In Hi-Fi
- 1956 Chico Hamilton Trio (LP)
- 1957 Chico Hamilton Quintet
- 1957 Zen: The Music Of Fred Katz
- 1957 Sweet Smell Of Success
- 1958 South Pacific In Hi-Fi
- 1958 Chico Hamilton Trio intro. Freddie Gambrel
- 1959 Ellington Suite
- 1959 With Strings Attached
- 1959 Gongs East!
- 1959 The Three Faces Of Chico
- 1959 That Hamilton Man
- 1960 Bye Bye Birdie/Irma La Douce
- 1960 Chico Hamilton Special
- 1962 Drumfusion
- 1962 Litho
- 1962 A Different Journey
- 1962 Passin' Thru
- 1963 Man From Two Worlds
- 1965 Chic Chic Chico
- 1966 El Chico
- 1966 The Further Adventures Of El Chico
- 1966 The Dealer
- 1967 The Best of Chico Hamilton
- 1968 The Gamut
- 1969 The Head Hunters
- 1970 El Exigente/The Demanding One
- 1973 The Master
- 1974 Live At Montreux (w/Albert King & Little Milton
- 1975 Peregrinations
- 1976 The Players
- 1977 Catwalk
- 1979 Reaching For The Top
- 1980 Nomad
- 1988 Euphoria
- 1990 Transfusion
- 1991 Reunion
- 1992 Arroyo
- 1993 Trio!
- 1994 My Panamanian Friend (The Music Of Eric Dolphy)
- 1994 Dancing To A Different Drummer
- 1998 Complete Pacific Jazz Recordings of the Chico Hamilton Quintet
- 1999 Timely
- 2000 Original Ellington Suite
- 2001 Foreststorn
- 2002 Thoughts Of...
- 2006 Juniflip
- 2006 Believe
- 2006 6th Avenue Romp
- 2006 Heritage-
- 2006 SoulFeast presents Chico Hamilton- The Groove Master re-Fuzed