Lionel Hampton

Lionel Hampton ( Louisville , April 20 1908 - New York City , August 31 2002 ) was an American vibraphonist , pianist , drummer and bandleader.

Contents

 * 1 Biography
 * 2 Relevant discography
 * 3 See also
 * 4 External link

Biography
Lionel Hampton was the first known jazz vibraphonist and was in the 30's one of the greatest pioneers of the jazz genre. Hampton has focused his career of over six decades has not only promoted as a great jazz artist but was also known for his experiments with musical styles (the famous album Giant Steps is an example of this).

Hamp began his career at a young age as a drummer in the Chicago Defender Newsboys' Band. His idol was Jimmy Bertrand, a drummer from the 20s, which regularlyxylophone played. On the west coast of America played Hampton include Curtis Mosby's Blue Blowers, Reb Spikes and Paul Howard's Quality Serenaders (with whom he in1929 recorded his first album) until it became part of the band Les Hite (where Louis Armstrong too often played with). In 1930 he made ​​with the band recording in a studio which was coincidentally produced a vibraphone. At the request of Armstrong, he played on that instrument in the numbers Memories Of You and Shine. This Hampton was the first jazz artist to improvise on this instrument.

After this, however, it would take another six years before he gained real fame. After leaving the band Hite started his own band at the Paradise Cafe in Los Angeles . In1936 brought Benny Goodman to visit the cafe and he was impressed by the play of Hampton. Not much later he was allowed to make recordings with Goodman, Teddy Wilson and Gene Krupa in the Benny Goodman Quartet. Six weeks later he joined permanently at Goodman. From that moment, Hampton became known as a talented soloist, and he also appeared in films with Goodman, he participated in the famous Carnegie Hall concert in 1938, and he was heard daily on the radio. In 1937 he started making albums for the label Victory. In these sessions, he was accompanied by various names in jazz, which the albums also providing the title All Star Sessions (1/6). This famous recordings took place from 1937 to 1941 .

Until 1940 Hampton was also part of the band and orchestra Goodman, where he sometimes took the drums and vocals. In 1940 he decided to form his own big band and he scored in 1942 a huge hit with Flying Home, where Illinois Jacquet performing solo on the tenor saxophone (to this day it is seen today as the first R & B solo). That entire decade of the Hampton band was a great success, partly due to the influence ofrhythm and blues and bebop . Besides Jacquet, also made ​​Arnett Cobb , Dinah Washington (discovered by Hampton), Cat Anderson , Marshall Royal , Dexter Gordon , Milt Buckner , Earl Bostic , Snooky Young ,Johnny Griffin , Joe Wilder , Benny Bailey , Charles Mingus , Fats Navarro , Al Gray , Wes Montgomery and Betty Carter part of his orchestra. Due to its great popularity Hampton managed to be in the 90s bandleader of all orchestras. In the 50s he was a member of many groups of stars, including a reunion with Benny Goodman and recordings with the Oscar Peterson Trio, Stan Getz , Buddy DeFranco and a trio withArt Tatum and Buddy Rich . He also was part of the orchestra in 1953 gave a number of very successful performances in Paris (assisted by Clifford Brown , Art Farmer , Quincy Jones , Jimmy Cleveland , Gigi Gryce ,George Wallington and Annie Ross ).

After the 50 respected Lionel Hampton especially in old successes. As always he played at concerts Hamp's Boogie Woogie (which he very quickly play the piano with two fingers) Hey Ba-Ba-Rebop and Flying Home. In his career he has made for almost every jazz label albums, including two of his own record labels (Plain Hamp and Who's Who). Despite a number of strokes and aging he continued until his last days making music. In 2001 a vibraphone of him (which he had played 15 years) buried in the National Museum of American History. On 31 August 2002, Lionel Hampton died at the age of 94 with a heavy heart attack .

Posthumously, he was shot in 2006 in the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame .