The type of musical marriage represented by these two sides is not as unusual as it might appear to be. Thirty years ago musicians like Red Nichols, Gene Krupa and the Dorsey Brothers were playing it in the pit bands of Broadway shows and recording some of the song hits from these productions in performances of an undisguised jazz nature. This of course was in the 78 rpm days. In the LP era, not until 1957 and Andre Previn's My Fair Lady was the concept renewed on a grand scale. The selection of songs from Bye Bye Birdie and Irma la Douce to introduce the Chico Hamilton Quintet on its Columbia Records debut marks not only a new step in the treatment of the songs, but a new stage in the musical growth of the drummer's unusual group. Formed five years ago in Los Angeles, the Hamilton Quintet recently underwent a reshuffling of personnel and is presented here for the first time with its new look. Summing up his feelings about the two sets of show tunes and the way they worked out for him, Chico comments : “There were several things we had to do : respect the concept of the writers, try to keep a sense of continuity, with simplicity and an overall jazz feeling ; and along with this we wanted to provide plenty to tap your foot to." All the evidence indicates that the Quintet spiritedly reached these multiple objectives.
Leonard Feather (from the original Liner Notes)
Chico Hamilton
Bye Bye Birdie
Irma la Douce
Tracks
1 Irma la Douce (Monnot) 3:52
2 Our Language of Love (Monnot) 3:48
3 From a Prison Cell (Monnot) 4:06
4 She's Got the Lot (Monnot) 2:57
5 There is Only One Paris for That (Monnot) 3:39
6 A Lot of Livin' to Do (Adams, Strouse) 5:47
7 Baby, Talk to Me (Adams, Strouse) 3:06
8 Put On a Happy Face (Adams, Strouse) 2:41
9 How Lovely to Be a Woman (Adams, Strouse) 3:54
10 Kids ! (Adams, Strouse) 2:38
*
Personnel
Charles Lloyd - as & fl
Nathan Gershman - cel
Harry Pope - g
Bobby Haynes - bass
Chico Hamilton - drums
Recorded November 29 & 30, 1960