ABSTRACT
Chico Hamilton, born September 20, 1921, and died November 25, 2013, grew up in Los Angeles, California. Known for his work with Lionel Hampton, Lester Young, Count Basie, Lena Horne, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Tony Bennett, to name a few, Hamilton came to prominence as a bandleader creating groups that have been described within the genres of cool jazz, chamber jazz and post-bop. In 1955 Hamilton formed his first chamber jazz quintet in L.A. featuring Fred Katz on cello, Buddy Collette on flute, sax and clarinet, Jim Hall on guitar and Carson Smith on bass. That group's sound has also been described as West Coast jazz. Throughout his life, Hamilton nurtured young musicians including those who would become leaders in their own right: Eric Dolphy, Jim Hall, Paul Horn, Charles Lloyd, Larry Coryell and Gabor Szabo. His passion for mentoring new talent continued into his eighties as a faculty member at the New School Jazz Program.
