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"Hamilton spurs his soloists through walking blues motifs and
breezy West Coast-style swing vamps amid a divergent set featuring
strong soloing and emphatically articulated choruses. Essentially,
Hamilton's hipness shines forth with a multitude of prismatic
colors to coincide with a few ballads, where the leader's affecting
vocals reaffirm his upbeat demeanor... Overall, Hamilton melds
a little tenderness and pizzazz into a program that's springing
with true sentiment. (Recommended.)"
- Glenn Astarita, AllMusicGuide.com
"Piloting his current band, Euphoria, Hamilton's hand is still
firm without being overbearing, enabling his fine musicians
to deliver their best at will."
-Robin Tolleson, Downbeat
"Chico Hamilton guided his Hartford audience on an exhilarating
journey through jazz history at The Artists Collective Saturday
evening. The 83-year-old drummer and his aptly named ensemble
- Euphoria - filtered their keen awareness of jazz traditions
through a contemporary, kinetic musical aesthetic."
-Chuck Obuchowski, The Hartford Courant
"Autumnal splendor intermingled with wry humor characterizes
Chico Hamilton's Thoughts Of.... The octogenarian drummer,
composer and bandleader delivers heartfelt musical portraits
of various people with whom he crossed paths during his extensive
career... Time hasn't tarnished Hamilton's supple sense of rhythm.
Always an impeccably tasteful drummer, he knows how to drive
an ensemble with shifting, swinging rhythms that interact nicely
with the ensemble players."
-John Murphy, JazzTimes
"Drummer Chico Hamilton is one of those amazing musicians who
could always swing with authority and with impeccable taste.
And at the ripe young age of 81, the man swings better than
ever!... We can only hope that the Grammy powers-that-be will
recognize Hamilton's latest effort and see it for what it truly
is: some infectious and uplifting jazz, created by a man who
has been doing such things consistently as a leader for nearly
50 years."
- Stephen Fratallone, Jazz Connection Magazine
"Thoughts of… is a virtual rarity in today's
lame-o, polarized musical clime: accessible without pandering,
heartening jazz of considerable substance."
- Mark Keresman, jazzreview.com |
