Groove o' the day: Chico Hamilton waltz

Here's Chico Hamilton playing his version of an Elvin-type waltz in 1962. I've always assumed it was Elvin's thing, that everybody else was copying. Maybe it was a type of groove everyone hip was doing, and Elvin just did it best. Chico Hamilton was an LA player who was not particularly highly thought of as a drummer, but he was a successful bandleader and had a lot of high profile people pass through his group in the 50s and 60s.

This is from the first section of the tune Lady Gabor, from the album Passin' Thru. I found this in my dad's record collection, and was surprised to meet the trombonist on it, George Bohanon, in the jazz department at USC. George was a grad student at SC when I was there, about 25 years after this recording.

Swing the 8th notes. That third tom tom note on beat 1 of the second measure happens occasionally; often he plays it almost inaudibly. Hamilton plays this pretty repetitively.

Groove o' the day: Chico Hamilton — Conquistadores

Here's a little 60's funky LA cha cha (or guajira? Or something— it's not a standard style) from the relatively unsung drummer/bandleader Chico Hamilton. This is Conquistadores, from his 1965 album El Chico:

The right hand plays a guiro part on the cymbal. I've notated it as a rhythm, but as you can hear, it's basically a buzz. Hamilton holds the groove throughout, freeing him up to shout at the band, and generally create a vibe.

Audio after the break: