New York: Decca,, 1947. Signed by Hamp, a young Quincy Jones and a generous assemblage of Hampton band members Wonderful small group of inscribed pieces lovingly assembled by a fan of the great vibraphonist and bandleader Lionel Hampton, the Decca set inscribed on the inner sleeves by no less than 17 members of his orchestra, including a young Quincy Jones. The teenage Jones makes the most appealing inscription of all the band members, writing "To Bree, Always be the same little chick that dug us at the R & D, Musically, Quincy Jones" and underlining his name with a thumbnail sketch of a trumpet. Hamp gave Jones his big break and his presence nicely dates this to 1951-3, when he was with Hampton as trumpeter and arranger; more accurately, the band lineup suggests the year was 1951. Regrettably, we have not been able to identify "Bree" but she may have been a native of Oakland, California, as the first inner sleeve carries the stamp of the Yerba Buena Music Shop, a popular Oakland fixture that was famously supportive of the jazz community. The Hampton band played the 1951 Cavalcade of Jazz in LA, so the signatures may have been gathered on that occasion. Whatever her connection, she clearly made a big impression on the band, a number of Hamp alumni signing generously: Jerome Richardson writes "Lots of Happiness", and Johnny Board "Loads of Luck". A portrait of Hamp mounted on the inside back cover is inscribed by him, "Thanks a Million for your Kindness Bree, Always the Best of Luck, Lionel Hampton"; and this is supplemented with another portrait cut from a magazine and neatly attached. The front cover carries her name at each corner and is also inscribed by Hampton, "Hello to Sweet Bree, Lionel Hampton". The two publicity photographs are inscribed respectively, "Take it Easy Bree, Sincerely, Lionel Hampton" and punningly,"Sweet as the Evening Bree? Always, Hamp". The musicians who have autographed the Decca set comprise: Quincy Jones, Benny Bailey, Walter Williams, Leo Sheppard (trumpet); Al Hayse, Paul Higaki, Jimmy Cleveland (trombone); Bobby Plater, Jerome Richardson, Leroy Thomas (alto); Johnny Board (tenor); Curtis Lowe (saxes); Ben Kynard (reeds); Billy Makel (guitar); Milt Buckner (piano); Roy Johnson (bass); Ellis Bartee (drums). A number of these autographs are notably scarce. "Hampton was at the center of change and racial integration in jazz and popular music. He was well known in both white and African American communities because he and pianist Teddy Wilson had been the first African Americans to play regularly with Benny Goodman's small ensembles... Hampton had the ability to attract large audiences with his music. He was a musician who could think outside the box and innovate compositions that excited both musicians and audiences. In his autobiography Hampton notes that the first out-of-town booking that Joe Glaser of the Associated Booking Corporation arranged for his group was at the Trianon Ballroom, a popular social club in Seattle that mainly catered to a white clientele" (Henry, p. 11). British author and broadcaster Digby Fairweather writes that Hampton's band "became a university for young talent" and that the 1942 hit "Flying Home" clearly established "the Hampton formula: high energy, screaming brass, and rhythms which could drive an audience to the kind of near-hysterical excitement that Hampton had first created with Goodman's quartet. Hampton's big band was, in a sense, a rock and roll band conforming to jazz conventions, and all through the 1960s the band remained hugely successful, appearing at all the best festivals" (Jazz: The Rough Guide, 1995, p. 268). A highly engaging memento of one of the most exciting bands of the post-war years. Four 10-inch shellac discs (Decca A-523), each housed in integral plain manila sleeves within a gatefold book form album cover, gilt-lettered black cloth spine, pictorial front cover, green reticulated wave-pattern back. [With:] two "10 x 8" glossy publicity photographs, captioned with the name and address of Joe Glaser's Associated Booking Corp. Spine of album set a little rubbed and frayed, other signs of light shelfwear, otherwise very good.; a few light abrasions and scratches to discs but overall in excellent condition. Riccardo Di Filippo, enciclopediadeljazz (this exhaustive blog very usefully gives personnel on many Hampton recordings); Clarence Bernard Henry, Quincy Jones: His Life in Music, 2013.
