Slide till you’re dizzy

Paul Saitowitz

The benchmark arrangements set afloat by the incomparable trumpet

notes dancing in between the stand-up bass lines and bebop beat,

along with those famous puffy cheeks and hanging jowls, can never be

duplicated, but the spirit of Dizzy Gillespie will be alive and well

in Costa Mesa May 7 and 8.

The Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars, made up of several players

who joined the legendary trumpeter on stage during his illustrious

career, will be making a stop at the Orange County Performing Arts

Center. One of those players is trombonist Slide Hampton, who played

with Gillespie on and off from the ‘60s until his death.

“We’re doing a lot of the stuff we did with him [Gillespie], but

we’re trying to spice things up a little and put a new twist on

things,” Hampton said.

The All-Stars tour sporadically during the year throughout the

states and Europe.

“I was just over there a little while ago ... we get a great

response there,” he said.

Playing the works of a jazz legend is something these musicians

take great pride in.

“The thing that really set Dizzy apart from other great trumpeters

was that he really knew what was going on,” Hampton said. “He was the

band leader and he knew and understood what everyone else was doing

better than they were able to. He was really a guy of high intellect

that was also dedicated to the music.”

Long known as an accomplished arranger himself, Hampton got his

start playing with his family while growing up in Indianapolis. Along

with his siblings and parents, he toured the country as part of the

Hampton Band.

“It was a pretty serous thing ... we played Carnegie Hall,” he

said. “My parents were always stressing that we should study music,

so that gave me a good foundation.”

As he got older he went to New York and started playing with Buddy

Johnson and Lionel Hampton (no relation), who eventually recommended

him to Gillespie.

Although firmly rooted in jazz, Hampton has worked on some

classical arrangements and has branched out into popular music.

“I did a lot of horn arrangements for Motown stuff ... groups like

the Four Tops and Stevie Wonder,” he said.

With a name like “Slide,” and long stints with Gillespie on his

resume, Hampton hails from the golden age of jazz -- an era of smoky

New York clubs where the music played on into the wee hours of the

morning.

“It’s great to see that this art form is still alive and well

across the country,” he said. “Especially at the universities,

there’s a lot of kids getting into jazz and playing it well.”

He has taught several clinics and master’s degree classes at

colleges across the country, but has never taken on a full

professorship because of his dedication to touring and playing in his

own projects.

“I’m still learning and studying music myself. The more I learn,

the more I realize how much I have left to know,” he said.