The Head Hunter - Chico Hamilton

 

Reach Out And Grab It

The Head Hunter

Chico Hamilton

Arranged and Produced by Chico Hamilton

All song written by Chico Hamilton

Engineer: Rudy Cotman

SS Solid State SS 18050

A Division of United Artists Records, Inc.

1969

Alto Sax - Steve Potts

Tenor - Russ Andrews

Guitar - Eric Gayle

Bass - Jan Arnett

Violin - Ray Nance

Drums - Chico Hamilton

From the inside cover: Chico Hamilton, has quite a unique approach to music: "The world is full of sounds and rather than trying to conform to any musical style or theory I try to emulate the things that I hear around me. Music, in and of itself, is not my goal when I records an album; it's a mood that I try to create and with every different cut my mood and naturally, the mood of my music, changes. Sometimes radically. If what I create has to be "bagged" I guess it could be best described as "Visual Music'."

In the process of attaining his goal of individual musical expression Chico has put together an album that is unlike anything you've heard before. He retains the Hamilton trademark of originality. He wrote every cut (save Ol' Man a narrative with musical background written and performed by Jimmy Cheatham) but if you don't read these notes before listening to the album you might think the songs were penned by seven different writers; so different and distinctive are the results. In addition to his own musical prowess, Mr. Hamilton has a team of excellent musicians to help him attain exactly the mood he's trying to project. The line-up reads: Steve Potts - alto sax, Russ Andrews - tenor sax, Eric Gayle - guitar, Jan Arnett - bass and the greatest in his sphere, Ray Nance on violin.

In summing up his philosophy of sound Chico says, "Although I strive to create myself, I feel the listener should be given the right to draw his own conclusion as to what the music is saying and it's wrong for me to infringe on that right. Interpretation is strictly an individual thing." So I won't impose and try to convey any messages, I'll just discuss music.

Guitar Willie

Reach Out And Grab It

I Found Out

Head Hunters

Conglomerates

Ol' Man

Cee Ee Jaaa

Them's Good Ole' Days