Jazz Articles

Chico Hamilton: Timely

by Douglas Payne
December 1, 1999

Consider the time drummer Chico Hamilton has spent in jazz. At 78, he's one of the music's survivors. He's been at the forefront of several of its major trends - the Cool school in the 1950s, the New Thing in the 1960s, the introduction of rock to jazz and, early on, exploring the commercial possibilities of jazz. He's also introduced a formidable cast of innovators to the music: Eric Dolphy, Charles Lloyd, Arthur Blythe, Gabor Szabo and Larry Coryell to ...