"The Chico Hamilton Special"

[hutch head]

I recently picked up a used copy of "The Chico Hamilton Special" LP (on Columbia) from my local record store. What an amazing session! It swings like crazy!

Is this Chico's first recording with Charles Lloyd? How are the other Chico Hamilton LPs on Columbia?

[Claude]

Drumfusion (Columbia, 1962) is brilliant too. It has the best Charles Lloyd I have ever heard on record.

http://www.mp3.com/albums/107403/summary.html

The album has been reissued on LP in the 90's and is not hard to find.

Edited August 3, 2004 by Claude

[DMP]

Now THERE'S a project for "Mosaic" - the complete Charles Lloyd quintet with Charles Lloyd and Gabor Szabo - Clumbia, Reprise, and Impulse.

[hutch head]

Thanks, Claude. I see that a "Drumfusion" reissue is available from Dusty Groove for $5.99.

[JSngry]

Never cared for SPECIAL all that much myself when I had it (other than the drum solo on "Trio"). Sounded like the last gasp of an exhausted format, like they knew a change had to come and were killing time until it did. But it's been years since I've owned it (sold it at the tail end of the 70s, when I went through a dogmatic purge of all non-"great" jazz albums from my collection ), so maybe my opinion would be different now.

But the other Columbia/Impulse! Hamilton/Lloyd things I kept/got later, after Szabo & Stinson had gotten on board, are uniformly excellent. Fresh, creative, and exciting music.

Anybody heard the Reprise date?

[DMP]

The "Reprise" date is okay - not up to the "Impulse" albums. But it's easily available in a good-sounding reissue from "Collectables."