Chico Hamilton Quintet

Featuring Buddy Collette \nA jewel of West Coast chamber jazz, this 1955 Pacific Jazz date documented drummer Chico Hamilton's extraordinary quintet featuring Buddy Collette on woodwinds, Jim Hall on guitar, Fred Katz on cello, and Carson Smith on bass. The ensemble created a singular sound with its unique instrumentation and poised, impassioned performances of nuanced, inventive arrangements of standards and bandmember originals. Side 1 consists of a set of introspective studio recordings including evocative pieces by Collette ("Blue Sands") and Katz ("The Sage") as well as a shadowy arrangement of "My Funny Valentine." Side 2 presents more of the quintet's fiery side with a set of live recordings captured at Strollers in Long Beach, California. The band swings mightily from the side opener "I Want to Be Happy" to the closer "Buddy Boo" with a detour into abstraction on the fully improvised piece "Free Form."\ni>Blue Note's Tone Poet Series represents the pinnacle of jazz reissues for anyone who appreciates pristine audio. Mastered by Kevin Gray (Cohearent Audio) from the original analog master tapes. Pressed on 180g audiophile vinyl at RTI and presented in deluxe tip-on jackets.