LIONEL HAMPTON IN LOUISVILLE

Lionel Hampton ‘Flies Home’ in Grand Style

One of band leader Lionel Hampton’s biggest hits was a song called “Flying Home.”

This week Hampton flew home to Louisville, where he was born 72 years ago, to receive an honorary doctorate from Bellermine College and to play a concert with his orchestra in Whitney Hall at the Kentucky Center for the Arts.

During last night’s concert Hampton cruised the stage, smiling, during his orchestra’s first song, an up-tempo blues. Then he began playing his vibraphone, improvising, even throwing in a quote from “My Old Kentucky Home,” while his band’s brass section blew some loud high-note blasts behind him.

Next, Hampton was off chasing “Sweet Georgia Brown,” while the rhythm section smoked in the background.

Prancing up to the microphone, he sang the lyrics of the old song, and even added a few choruses of scat singing.

The orchestra’s next tune, “Jeanine,” was more modern in style, and featured several outstanding solos by orchestra members on tenor and baritone saxophones, trumpet and trombone.

Throughout it all, Hamp stood behind the vibes, smiling and swaying back and forth to the music.

After singing a medley of songs that included “Basin Street,” and “The Birth of the Blues,” Hampton and his orchestra were off again on a more modern tangent, tipping their hats to Miles Davis with a spirited version of “Four.”

Hampton’s first ballad of the night was Duke Ellington’s “Prelude to a Kiss.” He followed that up with one of his own compositions, “Midnight Sun.”


The second half of the concert opened with the orchestra running through the changes of the old bebop tune “Good Bait.”

After a rousing version of “It’s You or No One,” Hampton mentioned that February is Black History month, and honored the occasion by having baritone saxophonist Dave Schumacher play a beautiful rendition of Duke Ellington’s “Sophisticated Lady.” It drew loud applause from the large audience at the concert, which was part of the Hillard Lyons Big Band Series.

Singer Lisa Cable was introduced next. She sang her way through “Blues in the Night” and “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” but did little to make either song memorable.

And of course, what would an evening with Lionel Hampton be without the old flag-waver, “Flying Home?” He did the whole Milt Buckner arrangement last night, complete with dueling tenor saxophones.

Then he took the audience all the way home with “Hamp’s Boogie Woogie.”

Danny O’Bryan
The Louisville Times
February 26, 1986

From the up-coming book “Derby City Jazz.”