- Artist:
- Chico Hamilton
El Chico
Incl. taxes (plus applicable )
Release date: December 11, 2026
Already a noted bandleader after logging time as a sideman for Count Basie, Lester Young, Lena Horne and others, drummer Chico Hamilton found himself at the crossroads of stylistic expansion on 1966's "El Chico". The album came at a time when the sound of bossa nova galvanized jazz listeners, and Hamilton reacted in his own unique way, incorporating the sound of the genre alongside his own avant-garde touches. Hamilton's line-up — Jimmy Cheatham on trombone, Sadao Watanabe on alto saxophone, guitarist Gábor Szabó, bassist Albert Stinson, and Willie Bobo and Victor Pantoja augmenting Hamilton on percussion — gives the album its vivid character, combining melodic openness with richly layered rhythm and texture. The mix of originals ("El Moors," "Helena," the group-written "Conquistadores") and outside material (Barbra Streisand's "People," "This Dream," "Marcheta") underscore the group’s adventurous, cross-cultural approach, as well as Hamilton's embrace of global influences for a more exploratory, rhythm-driven sound.
VERVE VAULT SERIES: Stereo, mastered all-analog from the original tapes by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Optimal. Housed in a single sleeve featuring the iconic original artwork.
Tracklisting
A1. El Chico
A2. People
A3. Marcheta
A4. This Dream
B1. Conquistadores
B2. El Moors
B3. Strange
B4. Helena
