Chico Hamilton and Little Feat join forces on this impressive 2023 Record Store Day Black Friday release.
Chico Hamilton – Chico The Master – Stax/Enterprise Records (1973)/Craft Recordings CR00698 (2023) Special 50th Anniversary Limited Edition 180-gram purple marble stereo vinyl [Record Store Day Black Friday] 2023 ****1/2:
(Chico Hamilton – drums; Bill Payne – piano; Simon Nava – congas; Lowell George – slide guitar; Kenny Gradney – bass; Paul Barrere – guitar; Stu Gardner – organ; Jerry Aiello – organ)
Jazz drummer Chico Hamilton started his jazz legacy in high school playing with Charles Mingus and Lester Young. He also was a sideman for Lionel Hampton, T-Bone Walker, Lena Horne, Gerry Mulligan, Count Basie and Duke Ellington. For nearly 60 years, Hamilton was a prominent band leader releasing dozens of albums. With a hybrid jazz form (including soul, rock and even chamber), his up tempo hard-charging grooves helped to redefine jazz in modern culture. Among his many albums is the 1973 milestone Chico The Master. Hamilton was backed up by emerging rock iconoclasts and fellow L.A. band, Little Feat.
Craft Recordings has released a special 50th anniversary re-mastered vinyl of Chico The Master. This project has a decidedly New Orleans flavor, as Little Feat was assimilating this cultural influence at this time. Side 1 opens with a hard-charging funk jam with Bill Payne providing muscular piano chords. Lowell George’s distinctive slide guitar adds texture and Paul Barrere brings a jagged edge to his electric guitar. Stu Gardner’s brisk organ runs combine with Payne for a “no-holds-barred” rocking celebration. Hamilton’s propulsive drumming is excellent. “Feels Good” is another jazz/rock translation with George, Payne and Barrere cutting loose behind the relentless drumming energy. The electric piano solo bristles with grittiness and scratchy electric and delicate slide guitars are a nice counterpoint. Bassist Kenny Gradney and Hamilton establish a relentless groove on “Fancy”. George’s electrified slide licks are vibrant and frame the song. Payne adopts jazzy resonance on the electric piano. With Simon Navas on congas, there is never a mitigation in the vigor of the session.
In a concise funk-infused translation, “Stu” has a never-ending vamp with modulation and chord changes. Payne’s soulful runs are vibrant and the innate chemistry of the mercurial Little Feat and Hamilton is compelling. This is Latin jazz mixed with rock… and it is catchy! Switching gears, “Genghis” is atmospheric with a deliberate feel. This “slow pulse” surrounds a spacey electric guitar, and the percolating mood remains intact throughout the song. The funk returns with a vengeance on “Conquistadores ’74” with Latin motifs, tight percussion and Hamilton verbally exhorting the session players. It is “get up and dance” music with soaring piano and a continual buildup. A glowing, reverberating electric piano (with echo) introduction on “Stacy” morphs into a waltz-time, breezy structure. Hamilton’s cymbal work is magnetic. This album was recorded in 1973, and the finale, “I Can Hear The Grass Grow” is an amalgamation of this era’s genre-bending jazz. There is a fusion-esque opening, followed by a mesmerizing soul jazz exploration.
This 50th anniversary limited edition 180-gram vinyl is another another notable release by Craft Recordings. The re-mastered sound and pristine lacquer (both by Jeff Powell/Take Out Vinyl) is top notch and sounds crisp. There was no discernible surface noise and the eye-popping purple marble vinyl will be popular among vinyl enthusiasts. Fans of 70’s era Soul/Latin jazz will also like this album.
—Robbie Gerson
Chico The Master
TrackList:
Side I: One Day Five Months Ago; Feels Good; Fancy
Side II: Stu; Genghis; Conquistadores ’74; Stacy; I Can Hear The Grass Grow.
More information through Record Store Day
