Percussionist Chico Hamilton was in high demand as a sideman from the beginning of his career, but when he started making records under his own name he revealed himself as an imaginative bandleader on a unique path. His 1950s quintets, one of which is featured here, included cello as a lead instrument alongside flute and reeds, guitar, and bass. Various players cycled in and out, but on With Strings Attached (which does indeed feature a string section) we hear Eric Dolphy on alto sax, bass clarinet, and flute. Some pieces, like the opening version of Duke Ellington’s “Something To Live For,” are gentle to the point of becoming background music, but the choice to let cellist Nathan Gershman take the spotlight on the next track, “Andante,” with Dolphy harmonizing with him and guitarist Dennis Budimir laying down quiet chords in the background as Hamilton massages the toms with mallets, really blurs the lines between jazz and chamber music.