CHICO HAMILTON QUINTET: CHICO HAMILTON QUINTET FEATURING BUDDY COLLETTE (MONO)

Performer: Chico Hamilton, drums; Fred Katz, cello; Buddy Collette, saxophone, flute and clarinet; Jim Hall, guitar; Carson Smith, double bass
Artist: Chico Hamilton Quintet
Number of Discs: 1
Barcode: 0602455716019
Label: Blue Note (Tone Poet)
Format: LP
Genre: Jazz
Year: 2025

180-gram LP

The legendary Chico Hamilton Quintet Featuring Buddy Collette.

Remastered from the original analog tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio.

Pressed at RTI in Camarillo, California.

Luxurious gatefold sleeve manufactured by Stoughton Printing.

A landmark album by one of the most representative figures of West Coast jazz, a scene that was by no means exclusively “white”. Drummer Chico Hamilton leads a chamber-style quintet, enhanced by Fred Katz’s cello, featuring saxophonist Buddy Collette, who also plays flute and clarinet, the great Jim Hall on guitar, and Carson Smith on double bass. Originally recorded in mono in 1955.

Joe Harley, co-founder and co-producer of the highly successful Tone Poet audiophile vinyl reissue series, was chosen to curate this new collection of fully analog remasters made from the original tapes, pressed on 180-gram audiophile LPs and presented in luxurious gatefold sleeves. The remastering was carried out by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, while the vinyl was pressed by the renowned American company Record Technology Incorporated (RTI).

Each title in this series has been carefully selected by Harley and includes lesser-known Blue Note classics, modern favorites and albums originally released on other labels associated with the Blue Note catalog. Exceptional attention has been paid to every detail, from the cover artwork to the high sound quality achieved through Kevin Gray’s remastering of the original analog tapes and the precision pressing of the vinyl by RTI.

Every aspect of these Blue Note Tone Poet reissues has been handled with the aim of achieving the highest possible quality standards. The result is an edition designed to offer an outstanding listening experience.

Nicknamed “Tone Poet”, Joe Harley has set himself the ambitious goal of creating an audiophile reissue series that allows 21st-century listeners to experience the music as the musicians heard it from the original analog tapes and through the studio monitors at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio 50 or 60 years ago. Harley firmly believes that, in terms of quality, Blue Note albums have never sounded better than in this series. As he stated in a recent interview: “Every aspect of these Blue Note reissues has been taken care of down to the smallest detail. This means you won’t find another edition of comparable quality.”

Considered by many industry professionals to be one of the finest gems of West Coast chamber jazz, this album was released by Pacific Jazz in 1955 and showcases the artistry of Chico Hamilton’s remarkable quintet. The group features Buddy Collette on woodwinds, guitarist Jim Hall, cellist Fred Katz and double bassist Carson Smith.

Thanks to its unusual instrumentation, this distinctive ensemble delivers a series of lively, deeply expressive performances, combining imaginative and inventive arrangements of well-known standards with original compositions by its members.

Side A features a series of evocative studio recordings, including Collette’s “Blue Sands”, Katz’s “The Sage” and a melancholy arrangement of “My Funny Valentine”.

Side B highlights the quintet’s more vigorous side with a series of live recordings made at the Strollers in Long Beach, California. The band swings effortlessly from the opening track, “I Want to Be Happy”, to the closing “Buddy Boo”, with an excursion into abstract territory on the entirely improvised “Free Form”.

Chico Hamilton, drums; Fred Katz, cello; Buddy Collette, saxophone, flute and clarinet; Jim Hall, guitar; Carson Smith, double bass.

Side A

A Nice Day
My Funny Valentine
Blue Sands
The Sage
The Morning After

Side B

I Want to Be Happy
Spectacular
Free Form
Walking Carson Blues
Buddy Boo