Easy Music for Difficult Ears

Every so often you have an album that you just listen to and listen to, but never really appreciate – an album that you always put on and somehow mysteriously fits into situations, no matter how different. For me the 1966 album, “El Chico” by the Chico Hamilton Quintet, slots right into this category and as a result is one of my favourite albums.
I bought this about two years ago and although it never tops my playlist on a weekly basis, however it is a body of work that always provides me lots of pleasure. But for some reason, it wasn’t until this afternoon that I realised quite how fantastic it actually is.

Often when the genre jazz gets a mention, a variation of two things happens;

• some will look upon you with an air of condescendence

or,

• others will rave about the genius of Miles Davis (or someone equally obvious) without actually knowing anything about his music or the person himself.

Personally I’ve never really been into a lot of Davis’ material, but more to do with the fact that I find trumpets and other brass instruments slightly grating, but like a majority of jazz that I do listen to, Chico Hamilton’s recorded works tend to be percussion orientated. It is mainly for this reason that I also find music by Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton, Buddy Rich and Billy Drummond equally alluring.

Of course no composer like Hamilton can fully realise compositions without the ability of a multitude of session musicians and on “El Chico” there are several notable contributions. Of the players on this collection, Gabor Szabo and Albert Stinson are stand out as the guitar to bass shakedown that run throughout the album are sublime. His quintet series changed players and instrumentation regularly, but for the most part it revolved around a percussion, guitar, double bass, flute (or other woodwind instruments) and cello (occasionally swapped with muted trombone’s).
There’s no surprise then that while many jazz bands branched out into full blown big band material, much of Hamilton’s work maintained a very spacey air about them – almost trance like on occasion. It is only a shame that you can go into “well stocked” stores along the lines of HMV and Zavvi and amongst others and discover that their jazz selections are often limited to Miles Davis and Buddy Rich compilations or pop culture connotations of the genre (see Jamie Callum, etc…)

Hamilton is 86 and still performing and released the album “Hamiltonia” last year and has another album and EP out later on this year, but I’ll leave you with my two favourite songs from the album; Conquistadores and People as well as a live video called “Blue Sands” recorded at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival.
Enjoy an absolute master at work!!

A frank interview with NBC’s “Talking Jazz” from 1997

Currently watching:
Doctor Who “The Poison Sky”

Grand job,
Leigh