Chico Hamilton

Although it tended to get overlooked at the time, one of drummer Chico Hamilton's finest groups was his 1962-1963 quartet/quintet. With Charles Lloyd at his most fiery on tenor and flute, and the colorful solos of the up-and-coming Hungarian guitarist Gabor Szabo, this band placed a stronger emphasis on melody and softer sounds than the more avant-garde groups of the time but still pushed away at musical boundaries. Trombonist George Bohanon is also on the final four numbers of this CD reissue, which brings back all of the music from Hamilton's Man from Two Worlds LP and four of the six numbers originally on Passin' Thru. Highlights include the original version of Lloyd's most famous song, "Forest Flower." ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi