Biography
Chico Hamilton, born Foreststorn Hamilton, was an American jazz drummer, bandleader and composer. He performed as a sideman with Lester Young, Gerry Mulligan, Count Basie and Lena Horne before leading his own quintet, which featured the cello as a lead instrument.
The quintet appeared in and contributed jazz themes to the 1957 film Sweet Smell of Success. Hamilton later composed scores for the films Repulsion (1965) and Coonskin (1975), among others, and worked in film, television and commercials.
