Lionel Hampton And His Paris All Stars – September 28 1953
Leonard Feather: Lionel Hampton – Jazztime Paris – Liner Notes
THE NAME of Lionel Hampton, when it leapt out of obscurity into world-wide prominence in 1936 through his association with the Benny Goodman Quartet, stood for jazz supremacy on an instrument previously almost unknown in jazz circles, the vibraphone.
In the years since then, "Hamp" has earned other identifications for his illustrious name. He now stands for those qualities of tension, musical excitement and climax that have made jazz more than ever before a concert hall attraction. His performances build up with a calculated intensity that lends itself to night clubs and concert stages. By the same token, it calls for complete freedom to improvise as long as his loose-jointed fancy prompts him to continue.
Thus the conditions for these recordings, made by Lionel during his band's triumphal European tour in the fall of 1953, were ideal for the creation of the kind of excitement in which Hamp and his fans find mutual pleasure.
The scene was the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris; the date, Sept. 28, 1953, and the studio was filled with press and radio men and Hot Club representatives invited by Lionel to give him the feeling that he was in sympathetic surroundings, rather than under the chilly restrictions of a recording studio.
As is customary on records of this type, there were no time restrictions. It just happened to work out that the first Crazy cut ran over five minutes, the second about 31/2, and two standard tunes about eight minutes each.
On the Crazy takes, Lionel dominates the scene with his masterfully swinging solos, though he does allot solo roles to French pianist Claude Bolling, and to his own guitarist, Billy Mackell. The 23-year-old Bolling, by the way, who got his first big break at 15 when he won a Hot Club amateur contest, seems no less at home in this boogie-woogie blues atmosphere than he was on early performances in the styles of Ellington and others.
The rhythm section is completed by the drumming of Curley Hamner, best known as a dancer in Hamp's stage act but also an enthusiastic percussionist; and Monk Montgomery with his electric bass fiddle, which is held like a guitar and is very little larger.
On the two Crazy tracks, some of Hamp's cohorts come in toward the end to bring things to a riotous finale. Among them are trumpeter Walter Williams, trombonists Al Hayse and Jimmy Cleveland, Clifford Scott on tenor and Mezz Mezzrow on clarinet.
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| April 1955 |
Always and September in the Rain are trio sides, with Lionel ad libbing to himself for a full minute and a half before Mackell and Montgomery join in.
Peppering his choruses as always with shouts and grunts of self-encouragement, Lionel shows here how his style has evolved since the swing era. His use of double-time and other devices of the younger generation cannot preclude the all-pervading element of swing that has never failed to inject itself into every Hampton performance. You can almost hear Lionel thinking, as he invents riffs and tosses them aside, hints at Moten Swing and Flyin' Home, and builds idea upon idea with a beat that can't be beat.
Billy Mackel, Monk Montgomery,
Clifford Scott, Lionel Hampton, Mezz Mezzrow
Lionel enjoyed this session, just as he enjoys almost everything he does to enrich the jazz scene. Now it's your turn to share in the pleasure.
Leased from Vogue Records
Session Information
Walter Williams, trumpet; Jimmy Cleveland, Al Hayse, trombone; Mezz Mezzrow, clarinet; Clifford Scott, tenor sax; Lionel Hampton, vibes; Claude Bolling, piano; Billy Mackel, guitar; Monk Montgomery, bass; Curley Hamner, drums.
Ecole Normale de Musique, Paris, France, September 28, 1953
Real Crazy – Blue Note BLP 5046
Real Crazy (Completely Crazy)
Real Crazy (More Crazy)
53V4744, Real Crazy (as More And More) - Blue Note BLP 5046
Lionel Hampton, vibes; Billy Mackel, guitar; Monk Montgomery, bass.
September In The Rain - Blue Note BLP 5046
Always - Blue Note 5046
Alix Combelle (tenor saxophone) added
Free Press Oui
Blue Panassie
Lionel Hampton (piano) replaces Claude Bolling
Walkin' at the Trocadero
Lionel Hampton (vib) Billy Mackel (guitar) Monk Montgomery (electric bass)
Always - Blue Note BLP 5046
September in the Rain - Blue Note BLP 5046
I Only Have Eyes For You
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