LIONEL HAMPTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1949-1950 | The Chronogical Classics – 1161 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Although some of the personnel had changed in the interim, Lionel Hampton's big band sounded largely the same in 1949 as it had before the recording strike in late 1947. The main change was that there were now more vocals and the band had clearly shifted toward R&B and a bit away from bebop. But the excitement level remained quite high, as can be heard on such numbers as "Chicken Shack Boogie," "New Central Avenue Breakdown," "Hamp's Boogie No. 2," and "Rag Mop." The key sidemen are trumpeter Benny Bailey, tenors Gene Morris and Johnny Sparrow, guitarist Wes Montgomery (a decade before he became famous), and trombonist Al Grey. Boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons is on a few numbers and the vocalists include such future greats as Betty Carter and Little Jimmy Scott, who had a hit with "Everybody's Somebody's Fool." Scott Yanow
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LIONEL HAMPTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1950-1951 | The Chronogical Classics – 1262 (2002) FLAC (tracks), lossless

The 11th installment in the complete chronological works of Lionel Hampton opens with a series of recordings made for the Decca label in Los Angeles during October of 1950. With flashy arrangements and topical vocals, these records have more than a little in common with what Johnny Otis was cooking up in L.A. during this same time period. The big difference lies in Hampton's occasional use of smooth crooners and instrumentation that shone with a Hollywood sheen. By the time he commenced recording for MGM in New York on April 17, 1951, Hamp was ready to slip into a much hipper groove with "Air Mail Special" and several scintillating originals: "Cool Train," "Gates Steps Out," and "Gladysee Bounce." Hampton's band also backed vocalist Irma Curry on "A Kiss Was Just a Kiss," with a melodramatic speech delivered by Eve Lynn in shameless imitation of R&B heartthrob Larry Darnell's famous recitation during his 1949 masterpiece "I'll Get Along Somehow." The instrumental "Alone" is a fine example of Hampton's ability to play a slow ballad on the vibraphone in front of a lacquered big band. The session of May 21, 1951, stands among the most unusual episodes in Hampton's entire career. Here the big band is yoked into service behind a very white choir that sings the Jewish folk melodies "Hannah, Hannah" and "Shalom, Shalom." This creates a wholesome if slightly cheesy atmosphere that one would expect to find in a Broadway musical. The session finishes off with a much stronger instrumental interpretation of a traditional Jewish melody, "Eli, Eli." The closing tracks come from a session that took place on October 16, 1951, using a smaller band, electric guitarist Chuck Norris, and R&B vocalist Sonny Parker. Jazz heads will best appreciate this compilation for the presence of many fine instrumentalists, including trumpeters Idrees Sulieman and Benny Bailey, trombonists Al Grey and Jimmy Cleveland, saxophonist Jerome Richardson, organist Milt Buckner, and R&B piano legend Floyd Dixon. arwulf arwulf
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LIONEL HAMPTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1951-1953 | The Chronogical Classics – 1429 (2006) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Here is the 12th volume in the complete chronological recordings of Lionel Hampton as reissued by the Classics label. It opens with Hamp's final five recordings for the MGM label, waxed in Los Angeles on October 17, 1951. This was a 20-piece big band using charts written by Quincy Jones, and the music it made feels much different from what's to be heard in the next leg of Lionel Hampton's odyssey, a Norman Granz-produced quartet session with Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown and Buddy Rich, recorded in New York on September 2, 1953. While the big band sides are exciting and fun, with a hip vocal by Sonny Parker on "Don't Flee the Scene Salty" and a singalong routine led by Hamp on "Oh Rock," the quartet swings cohesively, stretching out for six, seven or nearly eleven minutes, for the LP era had begun and Norman Granz encouraged extended improvisations. The combination of Oscar Peterson and Lionel Hampton, whether cooking together on "Air Mail Special" or savoring the changes of a ballad like "The Nearness of You" made spirits to soar and sparks to fly. arwulf arwulf  
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