Died On This Date (November 25, 2013) Chico Hamilton / Jazz Legend
themusicsover Foreststorn “Chico” Hamilton
September 20, 1921 – November 25, 2013
Chico Hamilton was an influential American jazz drummer who helped define the West Coast cool jazz style of the 1950s. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Hamilton played in the same high school band as future greats, Charles Mingus and Dexter Gordon before going on to play with the likes of Lionel Hampton, T-Bone Walker, and Gerry Mulligan. In 1948, he was hired to tour with Lena Horne with whom he performed for over six years, thus establishing himself as one of the era’s top sidemen. In 1955, he recorded his first album under his own name and continued to do so more than 60 times throughout the rest of his career. Hamilton also appeared as a drummer in the film Sweet Smell of Success and others. During the ’60s, he scored numerous movies and television programs. In 1987, he co-founded the jazz department at New School University. Chico Hamilton was 92 when he passed away on November 25, 2013.
What You Should Own
Larry Thornton was a popular and highly influential high school band director who, for two decades ran the immensely regarded music program at William S. Hart High School in Newhall, California, just north of Los Angeles. Born in Central California’s Kern County, Thornton landed at Newhall’s Placerita Junior High School during the early ’60s. In 1969, he took over the already storied music program at Hart High School. Until his retirement in 1989, Thornton mentored what would become some of the greatest high school marching and stage bands in the state at the time. Under Thornton’s direction, Hart’s Chieftains marching band and Braves stage band won numerous county and statewide competitions. A trumpet player himself, Thornton was a direct influence on one student in particular, Glen Marhevka, who went on to play trumpet for the multi-platinum selling band, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. Thornton’s influence was so great that during the late 2000’s, former students formed an appreciation society they called Mr. Thornton’s Opus, in a nod to “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” the 1995 award-winning Richard Dreyfuss film that centered around a remarkable high school band director. During the late 2000’s, Thornton suffered a serious stroke and was diagnosed with cancer in later years. Larry Thornton was 81 when he passed away on September 5, 2013.
George Duke was a highly regarded jazz musician, singer, composer and producer who successful crossed over to R&B and pop throughout the years. Born and raised in the San Francisco area, Duke began picking up various instruments at an early age. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in trombone and composition while Minoring in the contrabass. He later went on the earn a Master’s in composition. Armed with these credentials, Duke kicked his music career into high gear upon graduating from college. It was during the mid ’60s that he started dabbling in what would become known as jazz fusion and more avant-garde styles. Over the course of his career, he released nearly 50 albums which oftentimes touched on funk, R&B, Latin jazz, and most notably, jazz fusion, the style he helped create the blueprint for. As a collaborator, the list of artists he worked with reads like a pop music encyclopedia. It includes Jean-Luc Ponty, 
Johnny Smith was a jazz guitarist who was considered one of the premiere cool jazz players of his day. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Smith and his family eventually settled in Maine where the boy began learning to play the guitar by practicing at local pawn shops. By the time he was 13, he was teaching other neighborhood kids to play. While still in high school, Smith joined a local hillbilly band, Uncle Lem and the Mountain Boys who took him on the road to play various fairs and dances throughout Maine. Since he was earning $4.00 a night, Smith promptly quit high school to pursue his career. By the time he turned 18, he picked up an interest in jazz so he quit the Mountain Boys and joined a jazz trio called the Airport Boys. After serving in the US Army as part of the Military Band, Smith put his music career in high gear. With a reputation for being one of the era’s most versatile guitarists – he could just as easily play classical as he could hillbilly and jazz – Smith found plenty of work as a session player. In 1952, he released what would become his most acclaimed album, Moonlight In Vermont, which also featured 
Mulgrew Miller was a respected American jazz pianist who, over the past three decades, was considered one of the world’s premier postbop players. Influenced by the likes of 