Customer Reviews

The Dealer

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Veteran drummer Chico Hamilton was known for his ability to lead groups, allowing for artistic freedom to develop and improvise but more importantly, to discover new talent. At the time of this original 60's recording, Chico Hamilton had given wings to his recently departed guitarist, Gabor Gzabo, to venture out and lead his own group. He replaced him with a young 23-year old Texan named Larry Coryell and introduced him to the jazz world and the rest his history. Corryell went on to a brilliant solo career , solidified his heavyweight status in the annals of jazz-rock fusion, recorded some thirty odd Lp's(many are on CD) in different styles including the softer and with less edge stepchild of jazz known has smooth jazz. The highlight of this disc is the introduction of Larry Coryell and his brilliant fluid style that is blues based. Notable songs that display Coryell's talents include "For Mods Only"(remember it was the sixties) where Archie Shepp, noted sax man, makes a rare contribution on his composition at the piano. He does not play sax on this disc. Coryell delivers some riveting guitar licks over the Shepp keyboards that bring to mind many of his later works where his improvisational skills are the norm. An additional bonus is the fine sax work by little known nor remembered Arnie Lawrence; his contribution is memorable however on this disc. " A Trip," least I remind you again, it was the sixties, is a beautiful composition by Chico Hamilton that showcases the interplay of sax and guitar playing simultaneously in an incredible, intricate, interwoven fashion , creating a mesmerizing musical quilt. "Baby You know" features Coryell's signature smooth jazz style early on in his career. The heavy blues influenced "Larry of Arabia" was written by Hamilton and given Coryell's nickname. This song is a masterful bit of fret work by Coryell that shows his many influences but most notably, Wes Montgomery; if you close yourr eyes you'd swear it was Wes. The disc in general is very good and a good document or testament to the development of one of the best jazz guitarists that is comfortable in many different styles. The bonus tracks were previosly released, add different elements and give the disc legs since the original Lp is more in the forty minute range that was the norm in those days. The original producer was the extraordinary Bob Theile. If you are adding some old jazz to the digital format than this might be a good choice; you can hardly go wrong with most Impulse rereleases that have Dave Grusin(yep, that one) as Executive Producer.Recommended for jazz purists who know it sounds as good now as then; only now it's cleaner, without pops and digital.

The sound on this album exemplifies a sort of very mellow soul-jazz that influenced a great number of later 60's psychadelic rock acts, and was influenced by the blues as much as it probably influenced later blues musicians. Chico Hamilton's drumming is so distinct in the fact that he has the PERFECT feel for other musicians and is rare in his "less is more" jazz drumming strategy. Fortunately this recording offers a nice amount of variety within it's jazzy, blues based vocabulary. In a sense, much of music here is like hearing a tripped out, mellow foresight of many guitar/sax/organ combos; the difference is a tad bit more intellectualization and subtley. Richard Davis, on bass, is unique in the fact that he won't just play a walking bassline, or a standard repeated phrase based on chord changes. He'll mess around with it, and put something trippy/avant-garde into his soulful groove. The featured guitarist, Larry Coryell, fits very well into Hamilton's world music vision, as he seems to apply a Texas blues guitar sytle next to a jazz style (like Grant Green/Wes Montgomery) next to some random country lick or indian raga phrase. As read in a recent article...Hendrix dug his style and jammed with him on an occasion. This desciption might make the music seem like a strange jumbled-up concoction, but the variety here is what makes the music so continually rewarding and interesting. The sax player is decent and has a sort of stripped down Parker/Adderley style. Just check out songs like "A Trip" (very appropiately named), "For Mods Only" or a bluesy anthem such as "Larry from Arabia".....this music is kinda soul-jazzy mixed in with a slight bit of avant garde and helluva lot of da Blues...this music is also not such a bad component to those who bobs their heads after slight intoxication or inhalation of a certain sticky green substance... There's also extra material that adds some insight into Hamilton's other recordings...it's pretty obvious Hamilton is no overly intellectual jazz snob, but one who realizes the importance of all types of music.

All Chico Hamilton albums are worth owning.This is one of my favorites.For Mods only makes a great intro for Sir Larry, but the standout is a perfect blues."BABY YOU KNOW"is one of my favorite pieces of music.the subtle weavings of arnie lawrence and coryell are incomperable, and oh god when that organ fades in...All players flying at there lyrical best.
Baby you Know and Mods , both available on the superior but impossible to find Chico Hamilton's Greatest hits"
If you find that collection, buy it at any price!

When I picked-up my first LP by this guy (A DIFFERENT JOURNEY, Reprise, 1961) I was about 13 years old (hmmm, I dunno, it was something about the cover artwork that caught my eye); and nearly 40 years later I still listen to that classic LP, and wonder why a CD version hasn't been issued. This album also introduced jazz idiom Charles Lloyd, whom I quickly fell in love with, as well. A couple years later, Gabor Szabo won me over with his eastern style and brief stint with Chico, and I began to scour everything around by the 3 exceptional performers. THE DEALER surfaced and made a lasting impression, and just last month I stumbled across an out-of-print video of Chico and his group at The Village Vanguard (1982) issued by Sony -- it nearly brought tears to my eyes. Whew!! What a nostalgic trip that was!! I really can't begin to comment on any particular CD or tune by Chico, but I certainly can say his styling introduced me to the jazz world, and I should arrange to have A DIFFERENT JOURNEY strategically placed in my casket when I leave this planet!

If you like that 1960s, soundtrack-y feel you hear when they shot a scene at a teen dance, or if you like bluesy jazz, the Dealer is a great album

I am not minimizing how great this is by the soundtrack compairson. A lot of this is bluesy boogaloo, fantastic dance music driven by Chico Hamilton's perpulsive drums. All of this is extremely well played.

But what makes The Dealer so good is--do I even have to tell you, Larry Coryell. Coryell is an interesting choice here; this is pretty straight forward music. Hamilton could have as easily drafted Wes Montgomery, Joe Pas, Kenny Burrel, any number of guitar players.

But hearing Coryell's wiz kid, almost abstract guitar playing--complication beneath the simplicity of the blues layers, is quite a treat. It lends a strange but comelling abstraction to this otherwise delectablly accessable music.

If you're familiar with Chico Hamiltons' music, there's not much I can tell you,you don't already know: his captivating sound is (I believe) exemplified on "THE DEALER".If you don't have it, this (earlier) album is a must for those who appreciate this music!