Lionel Hampton with George W. Bush

Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908, Louisville, Kentucky – August 31, 2002 New York City), was a jazz bandleader and percussionist. He was the first jazz vibraphone player and arguably the greatest ever. "Hamp" ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman to Charlie Parker and Quincy Jones. Image File history File links President George W. Bush honors music legend Lionel Hampton during a ceremony recognizing Black Music Month in the East Room of the White House on June 30, 2001. ... Image File history File links President George W. Bush honors music legend Lionel Hampton during a ceremony recognizing Black Music Month in the East Room of the White House on June 30, 2001. ... April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Louisville redirects here. ... August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Nickname: Big Apple, City that never Sleeps, Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Manhattan Queens Brooklyn Staten Island Settled 1613 Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... A bandleader is the director of a band of musicians. ... Percussion instruments are played by being struck, shaken, rubbed or scraped. ... A typical Ludwig-Musser vibraphone. ... A jazz musician is someone who plays or sings jazz music. ... Benny Goodman, born BenÅ‘ Guttman, (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American jazz musician, known as King of Swing, Patriarch of the Clarinet, The Professor, and Swings Senior Statesman. // Goodman was born in Chicago, the son of poor Jewish immigrants from Hungary who lived in the Maxwell... Charlie Parker Charles Bird Parker, Jr. ... Quincy Jones on the cover of Back on the Block (1989). ...

Life

Hampton moved to Chicago as a child and began his career as a drummer. He relocated to Los Angeles to play drums in Les Hite's band. They soon became the house band for Frank Sebastian's New Cotton Club, a popular L.A. jazz club. Nickname: City of Angels Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Area    - City 1,290. ...

In the mid-30s, the Benny Goodman Orchestra came to Los Angeles to play the Palomar Ballroom. John Hammond brought Goodman to see Hampton play. Goodman asked Hampton to join the Benny Goodman Trio, made up of Goodman, Teddy Wilson, and Gene Krupa, expanding it into the Benny Goodman Quartet. The Trio and Quartet were among the first racially integrated jazz groups to record and play before wide audiences; they were just as well received at Goodman's famous 1938 Carnegie Hall concert as was the full Goodman band. Benny Goodman, born Benő Guttman, (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American jazz musician, known as King of Swing, Patriarch of the Clarinet, The Professor, and Swings Senior Statesman. // Goodman was born in Chicago, the son of poor Jewish immigrants from Hungary who lived in the Maxwell... There are two John Hammonds of note. ... Theodore Shaw Teddy Wilson (born November 24, 1912 in Austin, Texas-died July 31, 1986 in New Britain, Connecticut) was a United States jazz pianist. ... Gene Krupa Gene Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973) was a famous and influential American jazz and big band drummer, known for his highly energetic and flamboyant style. ... 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

While Hampton worked for Goodman in New York, he recorded with several different small groups known as the Lionel Hampton Orchestra as well as assorted small groups within the Goodman band. In the early 40s he left the Goodman organization to form his own touring band.

Beginning in the mid-1980s, Hampton and his band started playing at the University of Idaho's jazz concert, which in 1985 was renamed the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival. In 1987 the University's music school was renamed the Lionel Hampton School of Music, the first and only university music school to be named after a jazz musician. The University of Idaho is the states land-grant and primary research university, located in the city of Moscow in Latah County. ... About the Festival The University of Idaho takes great pride in its 39-year tradition of hosting the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival. ...

His wife Gladys was his manager throughout much of his career. Many musicians recall that Lionel ran the music and Gladys ran the business.

Hampton was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans. Alpha Phi Alpha (ΑΦΑ) is the first intercollegiate fraternity established by African Americans. ... Because of technical limitations, some web browsers may not display some special characters in this article. ... The terms fraternity and sorority (from the Latin words frater and soror, meaning brother and sister respectively) may be used to describe many social and charitable organizations, for example the Lions Club, Epsilon Sigma Alpha, Rotary International, Ordo Templi Orientis or the Shriners. ...

Lionel Hampton is interred in the Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, New York. Located in The Bronx, Woodlawn Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in New York City. ... The Bronx is one of the five boroughs of United States. ...

Music

During a 1930 recording date in the NBC studios in Los Angeles, Louis Armstrong discovered a vibraphone (similar to a xylophone, but with metal bars and a vibrato mechanism). He asked Hampton if he could play it. Hampton, who knew how to play the xylophone, tried it and they agreed to record a few records with Hamp on vibes. Hampton is credited with popularizing the vibraphone as a jazz instrument. 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link is to a full 1930 calendar). ... It has been suggested that NBC Radio City Studios, NBC Studios be merged into this article or section. ... Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901[1] – July 6, 1971) (also known by the nickname Satchmo, for satchel-mouth, and Pops) was an American jazz musician. ... A typical Ludwig-Musser vibraphone. ... Xylophone in Bali 1937 The xylophone (from the Greek meaning wooden sound) is a musical instrument in the percussion family which probably originated in Indonesia (Nettl 1956, p. ... Vibrato is a musical effect where the pitch or frequency of a note or sound is quickly and repeatedly raised and lowered over a small distance for the duration of that note or sound. ...

Those who played with Hampton's band at one time or another Illinois Jacquet, Dexter Gordon, Ernie Royal, Jack McVea, Charlie Mingus, Monk Montgomery, Wes Montgomery, Quincy Jones, Benny Golson, Fats Navarro, Kenny Dorham, Clifford Brown, Dinah Washington, Betty Carter, Joe Williams, Arnett Cobb, Earl Bostic, and John Colianni. Jean-Baptiste Illinois Jacquet (October 31, 1922 - July 22, 2004) was a jazz tenor saxophonist most famous for his solo on Flying Home. He is better known simply as Illinois Jacquet. ... Dexter (Keith) Gordon (February 27, 1923 - April 25, 1990) was a New York tenor saxophone musician. ... Ernest Andrew Royal (born February 6, 1921 in Los Angeles; died March 16, 1983 in New York City) was a jazz trumpeter associated with Big Band, Swing and Bebop. ... Jack McVea (1914–2000) was an American Swing, blues, and rhythm and blues woodwind player; he played clarinet and tenor and baritone saxophone. ... Charles Mingus Stamp issued by the USPS on September 16, 1995. ... Monk Montgomery (born October 10, 1921 in Indianapolis, Indiana; died May 20, 1982 in Las Vegas, Nevada) was a jazz bassist. ... John Leslie Wes Montgomery was an African-American jazz guitarist. ... Quincy Jones on the cover of Back on the Block (1989). ... Benny Golson (born January 25, 1929) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger. ... Theodore (Fats) Navarro (24 September 1923 – 6 July 1950) was an American jazz trumpet player. ... McKinley Howard (Kenny) Dorham (August 30, 1924 - December 5, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer. ... Clifford Brown (October 30, 1930 – June 26, 1956) was an influential and highly rated American jazz trumpeter. ... Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) an American blues, jazz, and gospel singer. ... Betty Carter Betty Carter (May 16, 1929 – September 26, 1998) was a prominent American jazz singer, who was renowned for her improvisational techniques. ... Joe Williams (December 12, 1918 - March 29, 1999) was a well-known jazz singer. ... Arnett Cobb (10 August 1918–24 March 1989) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. ... Earl Bostic (April 25, 1913 – October 28, 1965) was an American jazz and rhythm and blues alto saxophonist. ... John Colianni (born 1962, Paterson, New Jersey) is an American Jazz pianist, solist, band leader, recording artist and accompianist. ...

Hampton was known for his tireless energy and skill on the vibes, drums, and two-fingered piano. The bars on the vibraphone are laid out like the piano; Hampton played both instruments the same way.

Hampton's 1939 recording of "Flying Home" with Jacquet's famous honking tenor sax solo, later refined and expanded by Cobb in 1946, is sometimes deemed the first rock and roll record. Quincy Jones once stated that Hamp was like a rock and roll musician in that "Hamp would go for the throat every night and the people would freak out". Saxophones of different sizes play in different registers. ... There are many candidates for the title of the first Rock and Roll record. ... Quincy Jones on the cover of Back on the Block (1989). ...

Samples

• Download sample of "I'll Never Be the Same" by Hampton and Buddy Rich