By 1941, Lionel Hampton (who turned 33 that year) was quite famous. His exuberant playing with the Benny Goodman Quartet and Sextet and his series of all-star recordings resulted in him not only being the leading vibraphonist but practically the only one of significance. 1941 was a bit late to be forming a new big band, and many of the jazz orchestras headed by jazz soloists did not last long, but Hampton decided to give it a try.
The Lionel Hampton Orchestra had their first record date on Dec. 24, 1941, without creating a stir. However that all changed on his second big band session from May 26, 1942. While very few remember the other three songs recorded that day (“Now I Know,” “Half A Loaf Is Better Than None,” and “In The Bag”), “Flying Home” is another matter. The song had been around since 1939 (Hampton and Benny Goodman are listed as its co-composers) and on Oct. 2, 1939, the Benny Goodman Sextet with Hampton and guitarist Charlie Christian made its first commercial recording. Will Bradley’s band played and recorded it in 1940, Hampton revived it for a pick up band session that year, and Charlie Barnet, Harry James, and pianist Erskine Butterfield were among those who played it. But all of those renditions were completely overshadowed by the May 26 version.
While the ensembles were exciting, it was tenor-saxophonist Illinois Jacquet’s two-chorus solo that made it historic. His improvisation, filled with color, drama, and repetition, helped lead to the rise of rhythm and blues. The high-note trumpet blasts from Ernie Royal and the arrangement by Hampton included some phrases that would become an integral part of a countless number of records in addition to becoming a permanent part of every Hampton version of “Flying Home.” The vibraphonist, Jacquet, and the tenor’s successor Arnett Cobb (featured on a slightly later recording called “Flying Home #2”) would perform “Flying Home” nearly every night of their careers from then on.
With that recording, Lionel Hampton’s big band entered its prime years which lasted for a decade. Always a crowd pleaser, as a bandleader Hampton was free to go “over the top” whenever he wanted, exciting audiences with his speedy two-fingered piano playing (“Hamp’s Boogie Woogie” became a regular feature), drum displays, occasional good-time vocals (including on “Hey Ba-Ba Re-Bop”), and virtuosic vibraphone solos. He encouraged his saxophonists to honk and roar, loved employing high-note trumpeters and exuberant trombonists who could scream in the ensembles, and had rhythm sections that never failed to swing hard. His live shows were sensational if not filled with subtlety.
Many superb and classic musicians spent time with the band which was one of the most popular jazz orchestras of the time. While the music was based in swing, it had the excitement of early rhythm and blues and was open to the influence of bebop. Among the greats who were part of the Lionel Hampton Orchestra during 1942-52 were singers Dinah Washington, Betty Carter, and Little Jimmy Scott (who had a hit with “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool”), trumpeters Cat Anderson, Al Killian, Snooky Young, Joe Wilder, Leo “The Whistler” Shepherd, Kenny Dorham, Fats Navarro, Teddy Buckner, and a very young Quincy Jones, trombonists Booty Wood, Britt Woodman, Al Grey, and Jimmy Cleveland, altoists Marshall Royal, Earl Bostic, and Jerome Richardson, tenor-saxophonists Arnett Cobb, Johnny Griffin, Morris Lane, Johnny Sparrow, and Johnny Board, baritonist Charlie Fowlkes, guitarist Wes Montgomery (nearly a decade before he was discovered), pianist Milt Buckner (whose block chordings were influential), and bassist Charles Mingus; Hampton recorded the latter’s futuristic “Mingus Fingers.”
In addition to his big band work, Hampton was always available to jam in small combos. He was part of the Esquire All-Stars including their remarkable concert of Jan. 18, 1944, that had Hampton playing with the likes of Roy Eldridge, Jack Teagarden, Coleman Hawkins, and Art Tatum. He appeared in the Danny Kaye film A Song Is Born alongside Louis Armstrong. And at a Just Jazz All-Stars concert presented by Gene Norman on Aug. 4, 1947, he took a remarkable solo on “Stardust.” And while not a significant composer, Hampton did write one song, “Midnight Sun,” that with Johnny Mercer’s lyrics became a standard.
In 1953 Lionel Hampton led what was arguably his greatest big band for a European tour. Included were such notables as trumpeters Clifford Brown, Art Farmer, and Quincy Jones (who contributed some of the arrangements), trombonists Jimmy Cleveland and Buster Cooper, altoist Gigi Gryce, tenors Clifford Scott and Clifford Solomon, pianist George Wallington, the pioneering electric bassist Monk Montgomery (Wes’ brother), drummer Alan Dawson, and singer Annie Ross. But it soon fell apart.
For reasons that are still not clear, Hampton did not want his illustrious sidemen to record in Europe. They ignored his orders, cutting a series of classic sessions including ones featuring Brown and Gryce. The vibraphonist also recorded a few small group dates in Paris but, due to the dissension, all that remains of the big band’s music are a handful of radio broadcasts that fall short of the orchestra’s great potential.
More than anything, and often at the expense of everything else, Lionel Hampton loved to play. While the sidemen in his big bands had their solo space, Hampton was always the star, switching instruments, twirling his sticks when playing drums, and getting most of the attention. He rarely spent much time mentoring or developing the talents of his players. Under the inspiration of his wife Gladys Hampton (they were married from 1936 until her death in 1971) who handled all business matters, he gained the reputation of paying his sidemen low salaries. The result was that, particularly from the mid-1950s on, his band was filled with young players who were often interchangeable and, once the novelty of touring with Lionel Hampton wore off, tended to leave after a short period. It did not matter all that much to Hampton because they could all be easily replaced by other eager young players.
Despite this, Lionel Hampton’s career was not affected at all. By the 1950s he had competition from such younger vibraphonists as Milt Jackson (who became the main influence on bop-oriented players), Terry Gibbs and Cal Tjader not to mention his contemporary Red Norvo who had switched to the vibes from the xylophone in 1943. In future years, other generations of vibraphonists such as Bobby Hutcherson and Gary Burton would become prominent. But through the decades, Lionel Hampton remained the most famous vibraphonist to the general public and he never lost his popularity.
In addition to his big band tours and recordings, Hampton was featured on a series of quartet/quintet recordings with pianist Oscar Peterson and sometimes clarinetist Buddy DeFranco, a dazzling album with tenor-saxophonist Stan Getz (1955’s Hamp And Getz), and two sets with Art Tatum including a trio recording that also included Buddy Rich. In 1955 he had a prominent role in The Benny Goodman Story (a semi-fictional Hollywood movie starring Steve Allen) and from that point on Hampton had occasional reunions with Goodman, Teddy Wilson and Gene Krupa including an album by the Benny Goodman Quartet in 1963 that showed that the old magic was still there. The four would team up again on a 1972 Timex television special for the last time since Krupa soon passed away. Unlike many of Goodman’s sidemen, Hampton always maintained good relations with his ex-boss. He was one of the stars of the clarinetist’s 40th anniversary Carnegie Hall concert in 1978.
Lionel Hampton’s basic swing style never changed through the years although he occasionally played more modern pieces including John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps.” He continued touring the world with his big band throughout the 1960s and ’70s, recorded a fine quintet album with trumpeter Charlie Teagarden (1963), had his own Glad Hamp label, recorded the memorable You Better Know It album in 1964 (a high-quality sextet set with flugelhornist Clark Terry and tenor-saxophonist Ben Webster), and led all-star sessions in the 1970s for his Who’s Who In Jazz company including some that featured Earl Hines, Gerry Mulligan, Teddy Wilson, Charles Mingus, Dexter Gordon, Woody Herman and even Chick Corea. At the 1967 Newport Jazz Festival, he headed an all-star big band that featured Illinois Jacquet joining him on “Flying Home.”
While Hampton’s regular big band became less significant through the years, he remained in great demand throughout his life, often heading all-star combos including ones called His Giants Of Jazz and (in 1991) the Golden Men Of Jazz. A few projects were a bit commercial (including albums featuring the music of Saturday Night Fever and Grease) but most of his sets were worthwhile if a bit predictable. In 1984 an annual festival at the University Of Idaho was renamed the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival and his big band became a regular feature at the campus.
Lionel Hampton did not slow down until suffering a stroke in 1991. He cut back on his activities but still did his best to remain part of the jazz scene although at a 1998 concert that I witnessed, he was barely able to stand. His final full-length recording was at a 90th Birthday celebration (released on a Japanese label) from May 1999.
Lionel Hampton passed away on Aug. 31, 2002, at the age of 94, 73 years after he first appeared on records with Paul Howard’s Quality Serenaders. Fortunately his best recordings are still available and there are no shortage of filmed appearances that show just how exciting a performer the pioneering vibraphonist was in his prime.
