Lionel Hampton

USA

Born: 20 April 1908

Died: 31 August 2002

Years Active: 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90

Genres: Jazz, R&B

Styles: Big Band, Big Band/Swing, Swing, Early R&B, R&B/Soul, Mainstream Jazz, Bop, New Orleans/Classic Jazz, Early Jazz

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Lionel Hampton was the first jazz vibraphonist and was one of the jazz giants beginning in the mid-'30s. He has achieved the difficult feat of being musically open-minded (even recording "Giant Steps") without changing his basic swing style. Hamp started out as a drummer, playing with the Chicago Defender Newsboys' Band as a youth. His original idol was Jimmy Bertrand, a '20s drummer who occasionally played xylophone. Hampton played on the West Coast with such groups as Curtis Mosby's Blue Blowers, Reb Spikes, and Paul Howard's Quality Serenade...

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