Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 43:37
Size: 99.9 MB
Styles: West Coast jazz
Year: 1955/2011
Art: Front
[2:14] 1. I Want To Be Happy
[5:20] 2. Spectacular
[5:07] 3. Free Form
[6:17] 4. Walking Carson Blues
[5:20] 5. Buddie Boo
[2:51] 6. A Nice Day
[4:15] 7. My Funny Valentine
[6:29] 8. Blue Sands
[3:31] 9. The Sage
[2:07] 10. The Morning After
The first thing the Chico Hamilton Quintet had going for it was unusual instrumentation. The quintet built its sound around the cello, and featured guitar, bass, either flute or clarinet (with the occasional sax), and Hamilton on drums, forgoing the sticks for brushes or mallets. The second thing was a style that wasn't quite jazz, exactly, but not as composed as classical (and definitely not as boring as third stream.) Many called it chamber jazz, an apt title for a group that applied counterpoint and melody to a lightly swinging beat. And the compositions from the group were abstract, modern works unlike what anyone else quite had in mind.
For a while, apart from a long-gone Mosaic set, the Quintet's music was pretty difficult to find. However, lately several import labels have put out compilations of their albums in various arrangements. Unfortunately it's still difficult to pick up the entire body of work from this masterful group without duplicating any sessions; some have these, some have those.
The Chico Hamilton Quintet Featuring Buddy Collette and The Chico Hamilton Quintet in Hi-Fi feature the original group with Carson Smith on bass, Fred Katz on cello, Jim Hall on guitar (in his first ever jazz group) and Collette on flute, clarinet, and sax.
This album has some of the best music the West Coast had to offer in the 1950s. The first half of the first album features lively originals that make use of the lightweight sound of the quintet; "A Nice Day" pretty much says it all in the title, a lively reworking of the "Miss Jones" changes. "The Morning After" is an energetic and insanely catchy little melody. In what would soon be a trademark approach to standards, "My Funny Valentine" is given a drastic reworking with Katz holding down the melody; "Blue Sands" channels the Middle East through mallets and flutes. The second half is a live set from Stroller's that focuses on more standard fare. But from early on Hamilton had assembled a group of sympathetic musicians who were willing to rewrite what a jazz group could be. ~David Rickert
For a while, apart from a long-gone Mosaic set, the Quintet's music was pretty difficult to find. However, lately several import labels have put out compilations of their albums in various arrangements. Unfortunately it's still difficult to pick up the entire body of work from this masterful group without duplicating any sessions; some have these, some have those.
The Chico Hamilton Quintet Featuring Buddy Collette and The Chico Hamilton Quintet in Hi-Fi feature the original group with Carson Smith on bass, Fred Katz on cello, Jim Hall on guitar (in his first ever jazz group) and Collette on flute, clarinet, and sax.
This album has some of the best music the West Coast had to offer in the 1950s. The first half of the first album features lively originals that make use of the lightweight sound of the quintet; "A Nice Day" pretty much says it all in the title, a lively reworking of the "Miss Jones" changes. "The Morning After" is an energetic and insanely catchy little melody. In what would soon be a trademark approach to standards, "My Funny Valentine" is given a drastic reworking with Katz holding down the melody; "Blue Sands" channels the Middle East through mallets and flutes. The second half is a live set from Stroller's that focuses on more standard fare. But from early on Hamilton had assembled a group of sympathetic musicians who were willing to rewrite what a jazz group could be. ~David Rickert
Featuring Buddy Collette
Requesting a link restore to this album please.
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Delete24-06-2018
Many thanks, Giullia!
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