Search - Lionel Hampton :: Reunion at Newport 1967

Lionel and the All-Star Alumni Band COOKS! REALLY!

douglasnegley | Pittsburgh, Pa. United States | 09/10/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was floored by this CD when I first heard it. First of all, the sound, for a Live show, at Newport in 1967, is good. Second, the band - featuring players like Snooky Young, Joe Newman, Al Grey, Frank Foster, Jerome Richardson, George Duvivier...need I say more - is on high throttle, and obviously enjoying themselves. This Big Band is every bit as 'tight-loose' (if you catch my drift) as Dizzy's in '57, or Terry Gibbs' in '59. In fact, this band reminds me a whole lot of that Gibbs band in the way they swing, and sway, too. Both do great versions of "Flying Home", also. I think it was the 'sway' that turned a lot of the 'baby-boomers' off to Big Band jazz. Hopefully, it is more appreciated these days, now that Geritol bottles are finding their way into the same generation's cabinents. Seriously, though, it is great, classic American music. This band shows the time period in which the Live recordings were made, also. "Greasy Greens" is a classic 1967-style pop-funk tune. "Tempo's Birthday" is one of my favorites, being both a 'swing' and 'sway' tune, punctuated with classic section 'hits' in the arrangement. Frank Foster's "Misunderstood Blues" is hilarious, as well as bluesy - a kind of 'tip-of-the-hat' to Clark Terry's classic vocal routine of the same variety. "Meet Benny Bailey" is a minor-mode vehicle for Snooky Young to shine on, which he surely does. Then comes the Hampton rhythm-and-blues classic "Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop, with "Hamp's Boogie Woogie" inside of it, and this time, Hamp gets to show his piano chops, the band responding in full throttle. "Flying Home" finds Hamp doing what he does best: killing on the vibes. An encore, apropos of the period, features one more go 'round of "Greasy Greens", featuring Billy Mackel on the electric guitar solo. The rest of the tracks are studio releases, but this CD ranks with the best Live swinging Big Bands of modern times. It is a hidden treasure."