Lionel Hampton jazz contract signed autograph 1948 MGM rare radio big band

LIONEL HAMPTON SIGNED CONTRACT FROM JULY 8, 1948 TO SAMUEL GOLDWYN PRODUCTIONS, INC FOR THE PHOTOPLAY "A STAR IS BORN". "Lionel Hampton inspired me to play the vibraphone, " said Milt Jackson, the innovative vibraphonist of the Modern Jazz Quartet. He was the first one of note to play it, but more important, I liked how dynamic he was. And the way he blended with groups and the way he played in front of a band were inspirational.

Although Lionel Hampton wasn't the first to play the vibraphone -- that honor goes to Red Norvo -- "Hamp" is generally credited as the one who brought vibes to the public's attention through a combination of musicianship and showmanship. "I always think of Hamp as the guy who really got us established, " said vibist Gary Burton in a 1999 Percussive Notes interview. Hampton was born on April 20, 1908 in Louisville, Kentucky. After his father was killed in World War I, Lionel and his mother moved to Birmingham, Alabama, where Hampton first played drums in a Holiness church.

The Hamptons then moved north, and Lionel played drums in a fife-and-drum band while attending Holy Rosary Academy in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which was a school for black and Native American children. Later, in Chicago, Lionel played drums in the Chicago Defender Newspaper Boys Band, which is where he began playing xylophone and marimba. "I worked hard learning harmony and theory when I was growing up in Chicago in the 1920s, " Hampton once recalled in an interview. He began his professional career as a drummer, going on the road with such bandleaders as Detroit Shannon and Les Hite before settling in Los Angeles in 1927, where he worked with Curtis Mosby's Blues Blowers and Paul Howard's Quality Serenaders, with whom he recorded in 1929 as a drummer, singer and pianist.

"There was a set of vibes in the corner, " Hampton recalled. Louis said,'Do you know how to play it? I said,'Yeah, I can play it. It had the same keyboard as the xylophone, and I was familiar with that.

" Lionel proceeded to play vibes behind Armstrong on the tune "Memories of You. Armstrong encouraged Hampton to pursue vibes playing.

Hampton took Armstrong's advice and soon became a well-known vibraphonist, particularly through his work at the Paradise Club in Los Angeles. One night, clarinetist Benny Goodman, pianist Teddy Wilson and drummer Gene Krupa heard Hampton's band at the Paradise and invited Hampton to record with them.

His bands had the distinction of being respected by jazz musicians as well as being popular with the public at large. Hampton's riff-based music even had some success on rock stations in the early 1950s and he appeared in a movie with rock'n' roll disc jockey Alan Freed. Many musicians tell stories about how Hampton encouraged them. "I saw Hampton when I was about 12 years old, " Gary Burton remembered.

He was playing at the Evansville (Indiana) Armory for a dance. Since I couldn't go in the evening when they would be serving alcohol, my father took me down there in the afternoon, thinking we might run into the band. Sure enough, they were doing a soundcheck and setup.

My father told Hamp that I played the vibraphone, and Hamp was really gracious. He asked me to play, so I played a standard tune or blues in F or whatever, and Hamp had the band join in and play with me. Hampton also became involved with politics and community activities.

He underwrote low-income housing in Harlem (the Gladys Hampton House, named for his wife) and Newark, New Jersey. He also campaigned for a variety of Republicans including Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George Bush. In 1984, Hampton was elected to the PAS Hall of Fame.

The following year, the University of Idaho established the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival and in 1987 the same university established the Lionel Hampton School of Music, which was intended to house Hampton's scores, recordings and memorabilia. But much of that material was lost when a fire destroyed Hampton's New York apartment in 1997. By 1995, Hampton was confined to a wheelchair as the result of two strokes, but he continued to perform, often playing with just a single mallet.

Ludwig/Musser marketing manager Jim Catalano recalls seeing Hampton in 2001 at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in Moscow, Idaho. "What an event, " Catalano said. Participate and they bring in the top jazz artists from around the world to perform.

In 2001, Musser introduced a new vibraphone as a tribute to Hampton: a Musser Century Vibe with special gold bars and resonators on a furniture-quality wooden frame. In 2002, Hampton was honored at the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame ceremony with the Governor's Lifetime Achievement Award. "Playing is my way of thinking, talking, communicating, " Hampton told Modern Drummer magazine writer Burt Korall in 1988. I've always been crazy about playing. Every day I look forward to getting with my instruments, trying new things.

His wife, Gladys, died in 1971, and he had no children. Lionel Hampton inspired me to play the vibraphone, said Milt Jackson, the innovative vibraphonist of the Modern Jazz Quartet.

Lionel HamptonAlthough Lionel Hampton wasn't the first to play the vibraphone -- that honor goes to Red Norvo -- "Hamp" is generally credited as the one who brought vibes to the public's attention through a combination of musicianship and showmanship. Several thousand kids participate and they bring in the top jazz artists from around the world to perform. Even at the age of 93, Lionel was able to play his famous'Midnight Sun' along with his jazz orchestra. Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 - August 31, 2002), known as Lionel Hampton or simply "Hamp, " was an African-American jazz musician who brilliantly performed as a bandleader, a drummer and, most importantly, as a vibraphone virtuoso. Hampton was also an unconventional pianist and a singer.

1.6 University of Idaho and the late period. 2.1 "Inventing" the vibraphone. "Hamp" ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman to Buddy Rich to Charlie Parker and Quincy Jones. Above all, Lionel Hampton was the man who defined the vibraphone (also vibraharp or simply vibes) as a jazz instrument.

In classic jazz, no other musician came close to being his equal in fame on that instrument. Only Milt Jackson in modern jazz has a comparable stature. Hampton's name was synonymous with swing, energy, versatility, and inventiveness. He was able to produce music of original beauty with a recently invented instrument that remained relatively underused throughout the jazz age.

Born in Louisville, Kentucky, 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 Los Angeles jazz club.

The discovery of the vibraphone. 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 tremolo 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 in addition to the drums.

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, which Goodman led besides his big band.

These recordings feature the greatest stars of the time, including members of the Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Benny Goodman orchestras. Among the top names we find Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter, Cootie Williams, Harry James, Ben Webster, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Lawrence Brown, and Hershel Evans.

After leaving Goodman in 1940, Hampton began leading his own permanent band. Uncharacteristically beginning its course towards the end of the big band era, the Hampton orchestra gradually moved from classic swing to a style influenced by be-bop, while at the same time announcing the advent of rock and roll.

Quincy Jones once stated that Hampton was like a rock and roll musician in that Hamp would go for the throat every night and the people would freak out. While incorporating new elements, Hampton's music never strayed far away from its roots in swing and blues.

Hampton continued leading large and small formations into the third millennium and well into his 1990s. He had several reunions with Benny Goodman's initial Quartet, notably at the 1973 Newport Jazz Festival. He served as a goodwill ambassador for the United States and performed around the globe. University of Idaho and the late period.

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 also used his commercial success (he founded two record labels) to create low-income housing. Hampton was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate fraternity established for African Americans.

One the few jazz musicians to reach a high age, Lionel Hampton died at 94 from congestive heart failure in New York City and is interred in the Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, New York, the final resting place of other jazz greats. Hampton is known as the first real jazz vibraphone player, and one of a small handful of important stylists on the instrument. In fact, Red Norvo slightly preceded him in the use of the vibraphone, but during most of his career he mainly played the xylophone.

Along with his near contemporary, alto-saxophone player Benny Carter, who similarly lived and performed into his mid-1990s, Hampton is perhaps the most important multi-instrumentalist of jazz. Hampton was first and foremost a vibraharpist, he actually started his career on drums and remained one of the main jazz drummers of the swing era, though he gradually abandoned it as his main instrument. Sometimes he would juggle, flip, and twirl as many as five-six drumsticks and still play without missing a beat.

If Hampton was known for his tireless energy and skill on the vibes and drums, he was equally amazing as a two-fingered pianist. The bars on the vibraphone are laid out like the piano; Hampton played both instruments in the same way, while another pianist would play the left hand part on piano. "Hamp's Boogie-Woogie" is the best known of his piano recordings, but there are many others. In addition to his instrumental skills, Hampton could also sing.

His was not a bouncing voice, but it had all the charm, energy and humorous qualities of his playing. When in the midst of a particularly fast and energy-laden solo by himself or another musician, he would often punctuate the music by an intense "heah, heah, heah" and similar sounds. Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 - August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich to Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, and Quincy Jones.

In 1992, he was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, and was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1996. Lionel Hampton was born in 1908 in Louisville, Kentucky, and was raised by his mother. Shortly after he was born, he and his mother moved to her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. [1][2][3] He spent his early childhood in Kenosha, Wisconsin, before he and his family moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1916. As a youth, Hampton was a member of the Bud Billiken Club, an alternative to the Boy Scouts of America, which was off-limits because of racial segregation.

[4] During the 1920s, while still a teenager, Hampton took xylophone lessons from Jimmy Bertrand and began to play drums. [5] Hampton was raised Roman Catholic, and started out playing fife and drum at the Holy Rosary Academy near Chicago.

He made his recording debut with The Quality Serenaders led by Paul Howard, then left for Culver City and drummed for the Les Hite band at Sebastian's Cotton Club. One of his trademarks as a drummer was his ability to do stunts with multiple pairs of sticks such as twirling and juggling without missing a beat. [8] During this period he began practicing on the vibraphone. In 1930 Louis Armstrong came to California and hired the Les Hite band, asking Hampton if he would play vibes on two songs.

So began his career as a vibraphonist, popularizing the use of the instrument in the process. [5] Invented ten years earlier, the vibraphone is essentially a xylophone with metal bars, a sustain pedal, and resonators equipped with electric-powered fans that add tremolo. While working with the Les Hite band, Hampton also occasionally did some performing with Nat Shilkret and his orchestra. During the early 1930s, he studied music at the University of Southern California.

Lionel Hampton on Benny Goodman[11]. Also in November 1936, [12] the Benny Goodman Orchestra came to Los Angeles to play the Palomar Ballroom.

When John Hammond brought Goodman to see Hampton perform, Goodman invited him to join his trio, which soon became the Benny Goodman Quartet with Teddy Wilson and Gene Krupa completing the lineup. The Trio and Quartet were among the first racially integrated jazz groups to perform before audiences, [11][13] and were a leading small-group of the day. Lionel Hampton at the Aquarium, New York, c. June 1946 (photograph: William Gottlieb).

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 1940 Hampton left the Goodman organization under amicable circumstances to form his own big band. Hampton's orchestra developed a high-profile during the 1940s and early 1950s. His third recording with them in 1942 produced the version of "Flying Home", featuring a solo by Illinois Jacquet that anticipated rhythm & blues.

Guitarist Billy Mackel first joined Hampton in 1944, and would perform and record with him almost continuously through to the late 1970s. [15] In 1947, Hamp performed "Stardust" at a "Just Jazz" concert for producer Gene Norman, also featuring Charlie Shavers and Slam Stewart; the recording was issued by Decca.

Later, Norman's GNP Crescendo label issued the remaining tracks from the concert. Hampton was a featured artist at numerous Cavalcade of Jazz concerts held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles and produced by Leon Hefflin Sr. [16] His first performance was at the second Cavalcade of Jazz concert held on October 12, 1946 and also featured Jack McVea, Slim Gaillard, T-Bone Walker, the Honeydrippers and Louis Armstrong. The fifth Cavalcade of Jazz concert was held in two locations, Wrigley Field in Los Angeles and Lane Field in San Diego, July 10, 1949 and September 3, 1949 respectively.

Betty Carter, Jimmy Witherspoon, Buddy Banks, Smiley Turner and Big Jay McNeely also played with Hampton. It was at the sixth Cavalcade of Jazz, June 25, 1950 that precipitated the closest thing to a riot in the show's eventful history. Lionel and his band paraded around the ball park's infield playing'Flying High'. [17] The huge crowd, around 14,000 went berserk, tossed cushions, coats, hats, programs, and just about anything else they could lay hands on and swarmed on the field. [18] Dinah Washington, Roy Milton, PeeWee Crayton, Lillie Greenwood, Tiny Davis an Her Hell Divers[19] were also featured.

The performance created a sensation with Italian audiences, as it broke into a real jazz session. [22] That same year, Hampton received a Papal Medal from Pope Paul VI. Lionel Hampton during a concert in Aachen (Germany) on May 19, 1977. During the 1960s, Hampton's groups were in decline; he was still performing what had succeeded for him earlier in his career. He did not fare much better in the 1970s, though he recorded actively for his Who's Who in Jazz record label, which he founded in 1977/1978.

Beginning in February 1984, Hampton and his band played at the University of Idaho's annual jazz festival, which was renamed the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival the following year. [24] In 1987 the UI's school of music was renamed for Hampton, the first university music school named for a jazz musician. Hampton remained active until a stroke in Paris in 1991 led to a collapse on stage.

That incident, combined with years of chronic arthritis, forced him to cut back drastically on performances. However, he did play at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in 2001 shortly before his death. Hampton died from congestive heart failure at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City, on August 31, 2002. [26] He was interred at the Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, New York. His funeral was held on September 7, 2002, and featured a performance by Wynton Marsalis and David Ostwald's Gully Low Jazz Band at Riverside Church in Manhattan; the procession began at The Cotton Club in Harlem.

Later in life Hampton became a Christian Scientist. [6] Hampton was also a Thirty-third degree Prince Hall freemason.

[29] In January 1997, his apartment caught fire and destroyed his awards and belongings; Hampton escaped uninjured. On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Lionel Hampton among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire. Hampton was deeply involved in the construction of various public housing projects, and founded the Lionel Hampton Development Corporation.

Construction began with the Lionel Hampton Houses in Harlem, New York in the 1960s, with the help of then Republican governor Nelson Rockefeller. Hampton's wife, Gladys Hampton, also was involved in construction of a housing project in her name, the Gladys Hampton Houses. In the 1980s, Hampton built another housing project called Hampton Hills in Newark, New Jersey.

Hampton was a staunch Republican and served as a delegate to several Republican National Conventions. [32] He served as Vice-Chairman of the New York Republican County Committee for some years[33] and also was a member of the New York City Human Rights Commission.

1993 - Honorary Doctorate from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. 1992 - Inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. 1992 - "Contributions To The Cultural Life of the Nation" award from John F.

1982 - Hollywood Walk of Fame Star. 1981 - Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Glassboro State College. 1979 - Honorary Doctorate of Music from Howard University. 1978 - Bronze Medallion from New York City.

1976 - Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Daniel Hale Williams University. 1975 - Honorary Doctorate of Music from Xavier University of Louisiana.

1974 - Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Pepperdine University. 1968 - Papal Medal from Pope Paul VI. 1957 - American Goodwill Ambassador by President Dwight D. 1954 - Israel's Statehood Award.

Benny Goodman - The Complete RCA Victor Small Group Recordings [3CD]. Along with Teddy Wilson and Gene Krupa, appearing as a sideman for Benny Goodman. The All-Star groups including appearances by Cootie Williams, Johnny Hodges, Harry James, Benny Carter, Chu Berry, Ziggy Elman, Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Charlie Christian. The All-Star groups including appearances by Johnny Hodges, Benny Carter, Chu Berry, Ziggy Elman, Dizzy Gillespie. Benny Goodman - The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert [2LP].

Decca A-523; DL-5230 (10 LP). A 4-disc collection of 78rpm recordings: #24428, #24429, #24430, #24431, includes 4 tracks by Hampton & His Orchestra, and 4 tracks by Hampton & His Sextet.

A CD compilation of Vogue LD-166, LD-167, LD-168 (all 10 LPs); all material recorded September 28, 1953. Recorded November 30, 1953; with Milton "Mezz" Mezzrow. EmArcy MG-26037 (10" LP); MG-36032 (12" LP).

Second volume of the previous set; both 10" LPs (8 tracks worth) reissued on the 12" LP. EmArcy MG-26038 (10" LP); MG-36032 (12" LP). With Buddy DeFranco, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Buddy Rich; includes a 17-minute jam on "Flyin' Home". ---- NOTE: there is also a 5CD box set [731455979725] of the complete Verve recordings of Hampton's quartets and quintets with Peterson, as well as a number of other single-disc compilations.

The High & The Mighty. With'Reeds And Rhythm' (a reed quintet + rhythm section). With'Trombones And Rhythm' (a trombone quartet + rhythm section). The Great Hamp And Little T - Lionel Hampton & Charlie Teagarden In Person. Recorded live at The Silver Slipper, Las Vegas.

Benny Goodman Quartet - Together Again! The reunion with Teddy Wilson and Gene Krupa. With Clark Terry, Ben Webster, Hank Jones, Milt Hinton, Osie Johnson. I Don't Need No Sympathy!

With Zoot Sims, Teddy Wilson, George Duvivier, Buddy Rich. Off Into A Black Thing. Lionel Hampton And His Jazz Giants 77. With Cat Anderson, Eddie Chamblee, Milt Buckner, Billy Mackel.

Lionel Hampton Presents: The Music of Charles Mingus. A tentet session of mostly Mingus compositions, numerous ballads; Hampton and Gerry Mulligan are the major soloists with Mingus playing bass.

Second volume of the previous set; again with "The Golden Men of Jazz". For The Love Of Music.

Recordings from 1942 to 1950; issued 1962; reissued 1980. The Best Of Lionel Hampton [2LP].

Recordings from 1942 to 1950; issued 1975. Steppin' Out - Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra. Recordings from 1942 to 1944; issued 1969; reissued 1980.

Jazz Heritage Series; Decca DL-79244; MCA 1315. Slide Hamp Slide - Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra. Recordings from 1945 to 1946; issued 1980.

Jazz Heritage Series; MCA 1323. Sweatin' With Hamp - Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra. Recordings from 1945 to 1950; issued 1980. Jazz Heritage Series; MCA 1331.

Note: every recording by Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra is included in this 12 volume series from the CLASSICS reissue label.. The Chronological Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra 1946 (#946) - Decca recordings.

The Chronological Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra 1947 (#994) - Decca recordings. The Chronological Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra 1950 (#1193) - Decca recordings. GHLP-1001 (1961) The Many Sides Of Hamp.

GHLP-3050 (1962) All That Twist'n Jazz. GHLP-1003 (1962) The Exciting Hamp In Europe. GHLP-1004 (1963) Bossa Nova Jazz. GHLP-1005 (1963) Recorded Live On Tour. GHLP-1006 (1964) Hamp In Japan/Live.

GHLP-1007 (1965) East Meets West (Introducing Miyoko Hoshino). GHLP-1009 (1965) A Taste Of Hamp. GHS-1011 (1967) Hamp Stamps [includes "Greasy Greens"].

GHS-1012 (1966) Hamp's Portrait Of A Woman. GHS-1020 (1979) Hamp's Big Band Live!

GHS-1023 (1983) Live In Japan. GHS-1024 (1984) Ambassador At Large. GHS-1025 (1985) Sentimental Journey (Featuring Sylvia Bennett). GHS-1026 (1988) One Of A Kind. GHS-1027 (1987) Midnight Blues - with Dexter Gordon.

GHCD-1028 (1990) Cookin' In The Kitchen. Is My Lady Qwest/Warner Bros.

No Maps on My Taps. But Then She's Betty Carter. This item is in the category "Collectibles\Autographs\Music". The seller is "memorabilia111" and is located in this country: US.

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