One excellent jazz musician was Lionel Hampton. Lionel was actually a bandleader, actor, jazz vibraphonist and drummer. He has worked with other famous jazz musicians such as Buddy Rich, Quincy Jones and Charlie Parker.
Lionel spent his childhood with his grandmother in the south before he relocated to Chicago. During the 1920's he started playing the xylophone and drums. His very first instrument was the fife drum.
When he was a teenager he played percussion for the Chicago Defender Newsboy's band. When he was living in California, he played for the Dixieland Blue-Blowers.
The first band that he recorded with was The Quality Serenaders, and then he left once more to go play with another band, Les Hite band. It was here that he started studying the vibraphone.
Louis Armstrong asked Lionel to play the vibraphones on 2 of his songs. That is when he made the vibraphone a hot musical instrument.
While still with the Les Hite band, Lionel went to the University of Southern California to learn about music. He also worked with the Nat Shilkrer orchestra.
In 1936, he got a job as an actor in the film Pennies From Heaven, starring Bing Crosby. He was next to Louis Armstrong, but hid himself by putting on a mask when he was playing the drums.
In 1936, he was privileged to meet Benny Goodman who went to watch him perform. Benny asked him to join his trio which consisted of Benny, Gene Krupa and Teddy Wilson. It was then renamed the Benny Goodman Quartet.
The year before, Lionel played with Billie Holiday with Benny's orchestra. This group of artists was on the list of first integrated jazz groups that performed openly in society.
Lionel recorded with numerous groups while still with Benny Goodman, but in 1940 he left to form his own big band. Lionel's orchestra was a hit in the 40's and 50's.
"Flying Home" featured an Illinois Jacquet solo that began a brand new style of music, R&B. The song was so popular that he did a different version called "Flying Home, Number Two", with Arnett Cobb.
Lionel's music was a blend of jazz music and R&B during this time. Some fantastic jazz musicians that worked with him throughout this time was Johnny Griffin, Dinah Washington, Charles Mingus and Dizzy Gillespie.
As time went on, during the 1960's and after, his success decreased, he was still playing hits from the 1930's-1950's. In the 1970's he recorded with the Who's Who Record label, but still didn't do as well as he could have.
Going the college route seemed to help slightly. His band played at University of Idaho's jazz concert consistently. In 1985, they named it the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival. Two years later, they named the music school the Lionel Hampton School of Music.
It had been the only music school at a university that was named after a jazz musician. Lionel kept performing until he had a stroke in 1991 in Paris.
Even though he had to stop performing as often, he did a performance at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in 2001, not long before he passed on. This jazz music legend will never ever be forgotten.
You can find his music online by visiting any online music rock station or by searching: list rock music or best music rock.
The Biography Of The Talented Genius, Fiona Apple - A Short Sketch
Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart is an American singer-songwriter, yet she really is best known as Fiona Apple. Fiona was born in New York City on September 13, 1977, and she is the daughter of musician Diane McAfee and actor Brandon Maggart.
Religious Music And Songs - A More Encouraging And Uplifting Feel
A lot of the time, people get caught up with one sort of Christian song or another. Maybe it's the gospel music you grew up with, the Christian rock you listened to in your teens, or the Christian contemporary that your mom likes.
The Music Capital - The City Where Musical Artists Transform Into Musical Stars
Nashville is a town in Tennessee that gets plenty of attention due to it being the center of country music. People come from all over the world to visit what is known as Music City USA.
Digital Audio Workstation: Your Fully-Functional Record Studio Inside Your System
The digital audio workstation also known as DAW is a software package that is like a complete recording studio packed with thousands of beats you can use to enhance your music. It is designed for musicians but easy enough for beginners to produce tracks at no time at all.
The Reason Why Sonic Producer Is Definitely A Great Purchase For Me As Well As My Friend
When my friend and I went looking for an online rap beat maker, we ended up using Sonic Producer because with a minimal membership fee we had a beginner friendly beat making program and access to thousands of videos that can teach us about making digital music.
Developing The Ideal Arrangement For Your Song
Learn the elements of a song and ways in which you can combine them, covering the verse, chorus, intro, bridge, middle eight, instrumental, breakdown, outro and hook.
Rock DJ - Produce Your Own Personal Mega-Hit!
Right before I left Singapore, my buddy, Chee Kiang, burnt me my favorite Ministry of Sound. He attempted some modifications to the hits, not without the Zouk influence, the club everyone talks about in Singapore where he is a frequenter.
Other Readings
- Great Rock Songs And Classical Songs Online
- Teach Yourself How To Play A Guitar On The Web - Check Out Guitar Lesson Tools
- Jimi Hendrix Is The Number One Rock And Roll Star In History
- Purchasing Your Mixing Board: Discover What Your Best Musical Options Are
- MTV - The Popular Music Channel That Doesn't Plays Music Videos
- Jazz Legend Lionel Hampton - The Life And Times Of The Renowned Jazz Musician And Performer
- Jazz Musician Lionel Hampton - The History Of A Renowned Jazz Musician
- Excellent Rock Songs To Classical Music Online
- Excellent Rock Music And Classical Songs On The Web
- Excellent Rock And Roll And Classical Music On The Web
- Your Favorite Rock Music To Classical Music On The Internet
- From Rock Music To Classical Songs On The Internet
- From Rock Music And Classical Music On The Internet
- Your Favorite Rock And Roll To Classical Songs On The Web
- Great Rock To Classical Songs Online
Useful Resources