Nov 26, 2013
Legendary drummer and NEA Jazz Master
Foreststorn ‘Chico’ Hamilton died on Monday, November 25, 2013, in
New York City at the age of 92.
Born September 20th, 1921 in Los Angeles, Hamilton had a fast
track musical education in a band with his high school classmates
and future jazz legends Charles Mingus, Illinois Jacquet, Ernie
Royal, Dexter Gordon, Buddy Collette and Jack Kelso. Engagements
with Lionel Hampton, Slim & Slam, T-Bone Walker, Lester Young,
Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Charlie Barnett, Billy Eckstine, Nat
King Cole, Sammy Davis Jr., Billie Holiday, Gerry Mulligan and Lena
Horne established Hamilton as a jazz drummer on the
rise.
Hamilton began leading his own ensembles in
1955 and recorded 60+ albums as a leader. Hamilton’s impact upon
jazz included the introduction of two unique and distinct sounds:
first in 1955 with his “Original Quintet” which combined the sounds
of his drums, the bass of Carson Smith, the guitar of Jim Hall, the
cello of Fred Katz, and the flute of Buddy Collette; and the second
in 1962 with his own drums, the bass of Albert Stinson, the guitar
of Gabor Szabo, the trombone of George Bohanon, and the tenor sax
of Charles Lloyd.
Hamilton appeared in the 1941 film “You'll
Never Get Rich” staring Fred Astaire, and his ensemble was
prominently featured in the 1957 film noir classic “Sweet Smell of
Success” starring Tony Curtis & Burt Lancaster. Hamilton's
mallet driven performance of "Blue Sands" was a featured moment in
the 1959 Newport Jazz Festival documentary "Jazz on a Summer's
Day", and Hamilton composed the soundtrack for Roman Polanski’s
English-language debut, the 1965 psychological thriller “Repulsion”
starring Catherine Deneuve. Hamilton moved to New York City in 1965
and formed a commercial and film music production company, scoring
the television film "Portrait of Willie Mays", the popular
children's series "Gerald McBoing-Boing", and working on Madison
Avenue scoring hundreds of commercials for TV and
radio.
In 1987 Hamilton helped to found the New
School University Jazz & Contemporary Music Program in New York
City, where his students included members of Blues Traveler and The
Spin Doctors. Hamilton enjoyed a renaissance in his later
years, beginning in 1989 when he established yet another unique and
distinct sound in jazz debuting his Euphoria ensemble with which he
toured extensively in the US, Canada, Europe and South America.
Hamilton recorded frequently in recent years, including a string of
10 + recordings for the Joyous Shout! label with guest appearances
from the likes of Love front-man Arthur Lee, vocalist and
successful actor Bill Henderson, trombonist George Bohanon, bass
trombonist Jimmy Cheatham, rhythm & blues vocalist Fontella
Bass, guitarist Shuggie Otis, trumpeter Jon Faddis, percussionist
Jaimoe of the Allman Brothers Band, and vocalist Jose
James.
Hamilton’s ensembles were a breading ground
for talent, with Paul Horn, Eric Dolphy, Ron Carter, Gabor Szabo,
Charles Lloyd, Larry Coryell & Arthur Blythe and countless
others having made their names with Hamilton, and a wide array of
musicians credit Hamilton and his music as an influence, including
Carlos Santana, Charlie Watts, Joe Claussell, Jose James, Mark de
Clive-Lowe and Thievery Corporation.
Saluted by the Kennedy Center as a “Living
Jazz Legend”, and appointed to the President’s Council on the Arts,
this recipient of a NEA Jazz Master fellowship was considered one
of the most important jazz artists and composers, creating vivid,
positive, uplifting, engaging & relevant music until the end of
his life. This past October Hamilton recorded newly composed
material with his long-standing Euphoria ensemble, with Paul Ramsey
on bass, Evan Schwam on flute, baritone, tenor, alto & soprano
saxes, Jeremy Carlstedt on drums, Mayu Saeki on flute & Nick
Demopolous on guitar, along with featured guest appearances from
trombonist George Bohanon and fellow NEA Jazz Master trumpeter
Jimmy Owens, for his “The Inquiring Mind” CD to be released on
Joyous Shout! in early-2014.
I had the pleasure of
interviewing Chico a few years back, and that podcast can be found
here.