Slide Hampton

Locksley Wellington Hampton (April 21, 1932 – November 18, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. As his nickname implies, Hampton's main instrument was slide trombone, but he also occasionally played tuba and flugelhorn.
 

Biography

Early life and career

Locksley Wellington Hampton was born on April 21, 1932, in Jeannette, Pennsylvania. Laura and Clarke "Deacon" Hampton raised 12 children, taught them how to play musical instruments and set out with them as a family band. The family first came to Indianapolis in 1938. The Hamptons were a very musical family in which the mother, father, eight brothers, and four sisters all played instruments. His sisters included Dawn Hampton and Virtue Hampton Whitted. Slide Hampton is one of the few left-handed trombone players. As a child, Hampton was given the trombone set up to play left-handed, or backwards, and as no one ever dissuaded him, he continued to play this way.

At the age of 12, Slide played in his family's Indianapolis jazz band, The Duke Hampton Band. By 1952, at the age of 20, he was performing at Carnegie Hall with the Lionel Hampton Band. He played with Buddy Johnson's R&B band from 1955 to 1956, then became a member of Maynard Ferguson's band (1957–1959), where he played and arranged, providing excitement on such popular tunes as "The Fugue," "Three Little Foxes", and "Slide's Derangement." While with the Ferguson band, he composed and arranged memorable charts such as "Frame For the Blues," "Go East Young Man," "Newport," Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child," "Ole" and "'Round Midnight." In 1958, he recorded with trombone masters on the classic release of Melba Liston, Melba Liston and Her 'Bones. As his reputation grew, he soon began working with bands led by Art Blakey, Tadd Dameron, Barry Harris, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, and Max Roach, contributing both original compositions and arrangements. In 1962, he formed the Slide Hampton Octet, with horn players Freddie Hubbard and George Coleman. The band toured the U.S. and Europe and recorded on several labels.

From 1968

In 1968, he toured with Woody Herman's orchestra, settling in Europe where he remained until 1977. He taught at Harvard, as an artist-in-residence in 1981, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, De Paul University, and Indiana State University. During this period, he led World of Trombones, his own nine-trombone, three-rhythm band; co-led Continuum, a quintet with Jimmy Heath that plays the music of Tadd Dameron; and freelanced as a writer and a player. He also played the trombone in Diana Ross Live! The Lady Sings... Jazz & Blues: Stolen Moments (1992), DVD.

On June 4, 2006, Hampton and long-time manager and writing partner Anthony-charles Bey promoted his first self-funded concert at The Tribeca PAC in New York City (a tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim) and debuted the Slide Hampton™ Ultra-Big Band. The concert was the first of many planned for the near future.

In 2009, Hampton completed four new compositions collectively titled "A Tribute to African-American Greatness". The songs honoured Nelson Mandela, Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Barack Obama. The songs contained accompanying lyrics written by Hampton and manager/writing partner Anthony-charles:Bey, arrangements honouring Thelonious Monk, Thad Jones, Eddie Harris, Dexter Gordon, and Gil Evans round out the program. He completed two new Big Band arrangements – "In Case of Emergency" and "The Drum Song" (both Hampton originals). These two songs (and others) will be available exclusively to universities and other educational institutions through Slide Hampton™ Musique/Music Publishing-in-trust.

Hampton was a resident of Orange, New Jersey. He died on November 18, 2021, at the age of 89.

Awards and honors

In 1998, he won a Grammy Award for "Best Jazz Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)", as arranger for "Cotton Tail" performed by Dee Dee Bridgewater. He was also a Grammy winner in 2005 for "Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album," The Way: Music of Slide Hampton, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra (Planet Arts), and received another nomination in 2006 for his arrangement of "Stardust" for the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band.

In 2005, Hampton was honoured at the jazz festival in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Jazz Foundation inducted him into its Hall of Fame.

In 2005, the National Endowment for the Arts honoured Slide Hampton with its highest honour in jazz, the NEA Jazz Masters Award.