Chico Hamilton

Chico Hamilton — latest news, discussion & facts — IJR

Later career and death

In 2001, Hamilton released Foreststorn featuring Euphoria with Cary DeNigris on guitar, Paul Ramsey on bass, Eric Lawrence on alto and soprano saxes and Evan Schwam on tenor sax, alongside notable guests. In August of that year, he performed My Funny Valentine: A Tribute to Chico Hamilton at Lincoln Center.

In 1997, Hamilton received the New School University Jazz and Contemporary Music Programs' Beacons in Jazz Award in recognition for his "significant contribution to the evolution of Jazz". In 2002, he was awarded the WLIU-FM Radio Lifetime Achievement Award. At the IAJE in NYC January 2004, he was awarded a NEA Jazz Master Fellowship. In December 2006, Congress confirmed the nomination of Hamilton to the President's Council on the Arts. In 2007, he received a Living Legend Jazz Award as part of The Kennedy Center's Jazz in Our Time Festival, as well as being awarded a Doctor of Fine Arts from The New School.

In 2006, Hamilton released Joyous Shout! in celebration of his 85th birthday. In 2007, he released Hamiltonia, sampling his original compositions from the four albums released in 2006. Over the years, Hamilton had a series of dance successes, including his signature song "Conquistadors" from his 1960s Impulse album El Chico, and the Brazilian-influenced song "Strut" from his 1980 Elektra album, Nomad.

In 2002, a track titled "For Mods Only" from his 1966 Impulse! Records album The Dealer, was included on the Thievery Corporation's Sounds from the Verve Hi-Fi. In 2006, Rong Music released the 12-inch vinyl Kerry's Caravan by Mudd and Hamilton, with remixes from Ray Mang. Several remixes of Hamilton's recordings were released in the late 2000s. He released Twelve Tones of Love on Joyous Shout! in 2009. In March 2011, he had a long recording session, resulting in 28 new tracks with his Euphoria group. Following a health setback in 2010, he and the group began weekly rehearsals at Hamilton's Penthouse A; which brought together the material which would comprise Revelation, an 11-track CD, released in 2011. For the Dutch Radio Westerwolde he made a Radio Jingle for The Toppyjazz Radio Show.

Hamilton died aged 92 on November 25, 2013, in Manhattan.

As leader/co-leader

1953–1954: Chico Hamilton Trio (Pacific Jazz, 1955)[10" LP]

1955: Chico Hamilton Quintet featuring Buddy Collette (Pacific Jazz, 1956) – partially live

1955: The Original Chico Hamilton Quintet (World Pacific, 1960) – live

1955: Live at the Strollers (Fresh Sound, 2008) – live

1954, 1956: Chico Hamilton Quintet in Hi Fi (Pacific Jazz, 1956)

1953–1956: Chico Hamilton Trio (Pacific Jazz, 1956) – reissue of LP-17 plus 4 additional tracks

1956: Chico Hamilton Quintet (Pacific Jazz, 1957) – live

1957?: Sweet Smell of Success (Decca, 1957) – film soundtrack

1957?: Delightfully Modern (Jazztone, 1957) – split album with the Laurindo Almeida Quartet; Pacific Jazz material

1958: South Pacific in Hi-Fi (World Pacific, 1958)

1958: Chico Hamilton Trio Introducing Freddie Gambrell (World Pacific, 1958)

1958: The Original Ellington Suite (Pacific Jazz, 2000)

1958: The Chico Hamilton Quintet with Strings Attached (Warner Bros., 1959)

1958: Gongs East! (Warner Bros., 1959)

1954–1959: The Complete Pacific Jazz Recordings of the Chico Hamilton Quintet (Mosaic, 1997) [9LP/6CD box set]

1959: Ellington Suite (World Pacific, 1959)

1959: The Three Faces of Chico (Warner Bros., 1959)

1959: That Hamilton Man (Sesac, 1959)

1960: Bye Bye Birdie-Irma La Douce (Columbia, 1961)

1960 The Chico Hamilton Special (Columbia, 1961)

1962: Drumfusion (Columbia, 1962)

1962: Passin' Thru (Impulse!, 1963)

1962: Transfusion (Studio West/V.S.O.P., 1990)

1963: A Different Journey (Reprise, 1963)

1963: Man from Two Worlds (Impulse!, 1964)

1965: Chic Chic Chico (Impulse!, 1965)

1965: El Chico (Impulse!, 1966)

1966: The Further Adventures of El Chico (Impulse!, 1966)

1966: The Dealer (Impulse!, 1966)

1968: The Gamut (Solid State, 1968)

1968: The Head Hunters (Solid State, 1969)

1970: El Exigente: The Demanding One (Flying Dutchman/RCA, 1970)

1973: The Master (Enterprise/Stax, 1974)

1973: Montreux Festival (Stax, 1974) – live album shared with Albert King and Little Milton

1975: Peregrinations (Blue Note, 1975)

1976: Chico Hamilton and the Players (Blue Note, 1976)

1977?: Catwalk (Mercury, 1977)

1979: Reaching for the Top (Nautilus, 1980)

1980: Nomad (Elektra, 1980)

1988: Euphoria (Swallow, 1989)

1989: The Original Chico Hamilton Quintet: Reunion (Soul Note, 1991)

1990: Arroyo with Euphoria (Soul Note, 1991)

1992: Trio! (Soul Note, 1993)

1992: My Panamanian Friend (The Music of Eric Dolphy) (Soul Note, 1994)

1993: Dreams Come True with Andrew Hill (Joyous Shout!, 2008)

1993: Dancing to a Different Drummer (Soul Note, 1994)

1994: Live @ Artpark (Joyous Shout!, 2008) – live

1999: Timely (All Points Jazz, 1999)

2000–2001: Foreststorn (Koch, 2001)

2002: Thoughts of... (Koch, 2002)

2002–2005: Juniflip (Joyous Shout!, 2006)

2005: Believe (Joyous Shout!, 2006)

2005–2006: 6th Avenue Romp (Joyous Shout!, 2006)

2005: Heritage (Joyous Shout!, 2006)

2007: The Alternative Dimensions of El Chico (Joyous Shout!, 2007)

2007: It's About Time (Joyous Shout!, 2008)

2008: Twelve Tones of Love (Joyous Shout!, 2009)

2011?: Euphoric (Joyous Shout!, 2011)

2011: Revelation (Joyous Shout!, 2011)

2013: The Inquiring Mind (Joyous Shout!, 2014) – posthumous release

Chico Hamilton

Chico Hamilton

Article

Biography

Early life and career

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Early life and career

Bandleader

Later career and death

Discography

As leader/co-leader

As sideman

🎬 Filmography

About Chico Hamilton

About Chico Hamilton

Article

Biography

Early life and career

Related journals

Live room · 1 here

Related journals

Article

Biography

Early life and career

Bandleader

Later career and death

Discography

As leader/co-leader

As sideman

🎬 Filmography