Chico Hamilton, Gretsch Drums, The Legacy of “That Great Gretsch Sound”

Personnel: Flute: Eric Dolphy Guitar: John Pisano Cello: Nate Gershman Bass: Hal Gaylor Drums: Chico Hamilton One of my biggest disappointments when I wrote my book “Gretsch Drums, The Legacy Of ‘That Great Gretsch Sound’” in 1995 was that Chico Hamilton’s schedule was so busy he was unable to grant me an interview. He was, after all, one of the most innovative drummers at the time, not only in style and technique, but in the equipment he used. Chico was in a class of his own. I did my best to detail his special approach to playing Gretsch Drums in my book. I hope I succeeded. I first became aware of Chico Hamilton in 1959 when Bert Stern’s movie “Jazz On A Summer’s Day” appeared at my local art theater. Filmed in 1958 at the Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island with such jazz luminaries as Louie Armstrong, Thelonious Monk, Gerry Mulligan, and Jo Jones, but who is this Chico Hamilton? “Born September 20, 1921 Foreststorn Hamilton was a subtle, creative drummer and skillful bandleader. As a teenager growing up in Los Angeles, Hamilton started playing regularly for the first time with a band that included classmates Charles Mingus, Dexter Gordon, and Illinois Jacquet. He has performed with Lena Horne, Count Basie and Chet Baker, and founded the Chico Hamilton Quintet”1. One hour and seventeen minutes into Stern’s film, emcee Willis Conniver announces “and now with emotion, technique, precision and imagination, the music of The Chico Hamilton Quintet”. As the quintet takes the stage I notice a cello, a sign of things to come. I try to refrain from describing “jazz” but Thelonious Monk was as far out as I had experienced up until this point. Hamilton’s rendition of “Blue Sands” went even further, especially Chico’s drumming. His repetitive rhythmical pattern borders on tribal drumming. If you’ve had the experience of playing Ravel’s “Bolero” you know the concentration required, not only preventing disorientation but maintaining the same intensity at all dynamic levels. The great Billy Gladstone is reported to be the master. Chico’s concentration was astounding as was his equipment. He was the first, or one of the first to use concert toms (no bottom heads) of various sizes and his use of tympani mallets. My next Chico Hamilton experience was Roman Polanski’s 1965 movie “Repulsion” staring Catherine Deneuve. This avant-garde thriller had me on the edge of my seat. It still scares the bejesus out of me. I can only imagine when Polanski wrote the screenplay, he had Chico in mind. As Music Composer and Conductor, Hamilton’s creative input is spot on including the rhythmical pattern he created for “Blue Sands” as accompaniment to one of Deneuve’s street scenes. The true legacy of Gretsch Drums was the great fraternity of Gretsch endorsers. What was important for me while interviewing endorsers was to get the interviewee’s impression other endorsers simply by my naming another endorser and letting them recollect. This way, I not only filled in the blanks of those Gretsch endorsers no longer with us (or in this case, unavailable) but also in revealing much about the interviewees’ style and approach. Save two, those interviews had nothing but praise for Hamilton. Louie Bellson: "Sensitive player". Jimmy Cobb: "He was a big time California drummer back in the 50’s". Chuck Flores: "His time was great". Phil Grant: "He was unique". Elvin Jones: "He brought another dimension to jazz music". Don Lamond: "He sounded wonderful with Gerry Mulligan". Charli Persip: "He does it with great gusto and confidence". Not everyone was positive though, Jake Hanna: "I thought he was a jiver". D**k Shanahan: "I don’t think he read too well". With the death of Jimmie Cobb May 24, 2020, none of the Great Gretsch drummers from that era are with us any more. If you are interested in purchasing the Gretsch book it is available at amazon.com 1 *Jazz Oral Histories” International Museum Of American History

Added 3 Jul 2026