40 Quotes by Chico Hamilton

A lot of musicians aren’t proud; they’ll do other work, just to be able to play music. I guess that’s the way it’s always going to be – musicians will have to suffer to a certain degree in order to obtain their outlet.

I mean, there’s a hell of a lot of grounds for protest, but you don’t do it through music.

I don’t dig staying in one groove.

I’ve been a little more fortunate, perhaps, than a lot of people have, for the simple reason that I’ve constantly been moving: so nobody can hit me – you know what I mean? Protesting is not the answer – not along those lines.

And I’m happy to say that I’m able to find people wherever I go that are not black, not white – they’re just human beings. That’s where I am, where I’ve been and where I intend to stay.

Luckily, I’m in the position now of being able to play purely because I have the desire to do so.

My roots and Victor’s are jazz, basically, but these two young fellows that we have with us come out of rock bands. And they’re tremendously exciting players.

I have a company in New York City producing music for commercials, for radio, TV, features, etc. That’s how I’ve been making my living. And now the company is very successful – to the extent that I can afford to come out and play.

The type of band that I have now, the type of music that we’re playing you either like it or you dislike it. If you dislike it, you probably don’t know why. By the same token, you can’t even really say why you like it.