Search - Chico Hamilton :: Foreststorn

It's a measure of drummer Chico Hamilton's maturity and expertise that Foreststorn is such an enjoyable groove-laden affair. Drummer-led outings can often end up as chops-heavy blowing sessions, but that's not the case here, as Hamilton takes care to place his remarkably fluid group's sound front and center. Featuring Hamilton's young regular working band, Euphoria, plus a host of special guests culled from the drummer's years of experience in music, Foreststorn (the title refers to Hamilton's given name and to his recently deceased son) is a different kind of jazz record, one that takes care to groove as hard as it swings. Hamilton kicks things into high gear with his signature New Orleans-inspired drum sound on "Outrageous" and "The Boy with That Long Hair," and from there things cover a wide swath of ground: some gutbucket blues featuring harmonica from Blues Traveler John Popper on "I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town," a deeply swinging soprano sax workout from Eric Person on "Soprano Dance," and the beautiful "11 Bars for Arthur," a feature for alto saxophonist (and former Hamilton band member) Arthur Blythe. It's a measure of Hamilton's bandleading ability that even with these high-caliber guest artists on hand, it's the deep groove of Hamilton's band that really keeps Foreststorn cooking. At 79 years old, Hamilton hasn't lost his touch. --Ezra Gale