Chico Hamilton

Trio! strips drummer Chico Hamilton's band Euphoria down to three: Hamilton, saxophonist Eric Person and guitarist Cary DeNigris, with no bassist. Recorded in Astoria, New York, in May 1992, when Hamilton was seventy, it followed Arroyo on Soul Note, and it is one of the five Hamilton albums that CAM Jazz later gathered in its box of his complete Black Saint and Soul Note recordings. Hamilton, born in Los Angeles in 1921, had been the drummer of Gerry Mulligan's pianoless quartet and the leader of a chamber jazz quintet with cello in the fifties.

The sessions took place on May 1 to 3, 8 and 17, 1992 at Master Sound Astoria, with David Merrill engineering and David "Carlos" Pata assisting. Hamilton produced the record with Person and DeNigris as co-producers, Giovanni Bonandrini was executive producer, Gennaro Carone mastered it at PhonoComp, and Jeffrey Andrew Caddick wrote the liner notes. Person plays alto, soprano and sopranino saxophones. All nine pieces come from the three players. DeNigris wrote the opener, A Little After Twelve, at over ten minutes, and shares credit with Hamilton on Sound Rising and C & C. Hamilton wrote Around The Corner, Song For Helen (Elsa's Theme) and See Saw, and co-wrote 29 with Person. Person's own pieces are La Vie d'Amour (Love Of Life) and 10th Vision, which at more than twelve minutes is the longest track.

This is the Soul Note CD, catalogue number 121246-2, first released in 1993.