Lionel Hampton

Speaker 10:00

Hello, I'm Kirstie Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Disc's Archive. For rights' reasons we've had to shorten the music. The programme was originally broadcast in nineteen eighty three, and the presenter was Roy Plumley.

Presenter0:29

On iDesert Island this week is one of the great jazz men, Lionel Hampton.

Presenter0:34

Hamp, have you ever experienced loneliness over a long time?

Lionel Hampton0:38

Well, no, Roy. I've always had people around me and always been in a crowd. We had a big family and we was all compatible together. We always played together. First of all, um, my grandmother set the pattern for me, you know.

Lionel Hampton0:53

She used to have all our kids and all our grandchildren and the family at six o'clock every morning we get up and pray together. Come home from school for lunch and we all gather around. We're in the south in Birmingham, Alabama, and we'll pray again together. And then at six o'clock at night when we have supper, we pray again. So we always had the gatherness, you understand? Always expect to have people around you, you understand. And she said, and when you're by yourself, you know, don't forget the Lord is walking with you.

Presenter1:23

Right. That's going to help in this desert island experience.

Presenter1:28

You have just eight records to help you through this ordeal, too. Did you have any plan in choosing them? Are you looking back, or are they friends?

Presenter1:38

How did you set about choosing your eight discs?

Presenter1:41

Yeah.

Lionel Hampton1:41

Well, it it's people that I've heard through my career and I've always admired and I always saw something that had really greatness and had something to say in their art. You have a very big collection of records yourself, haven't you? Oh, yeah, I got oodles of records. Been gathering them ever since I was a kid. Oh, yeah. You still got the old ones? Yes, I still got practically all of them, you know. Well, now what's the first one you've chosen for your island? Well, the first one is a is a trumpet player that uh outside of Louis Armstrong. He impressed me with his greatness on the horn and with his individuality, and that was Bunny Berrigan. Oh, yes. I liked this song, I Can't Get Started. I think it was so sincere, and he showed great musician ability with the the technique that he used on his horn and and the soul that he put into his horn playing. But it it really is a great record, and I I don't think I'm by myself. I've read about a lot of jazz historians that said it's one of the five greatest records in the world.

Presenter3:13

Barney Berrigan and his orchestra I Can't Get Started.

Presenter3:17

Now Hemp, you talked about being in Birmingham, Alabama as a child. I believe you were born in Louisville, Kentucky. Is that right?

Lionel Hampton3:24

Yes, I was and uh I was born in Louisville, Kentucky,'cause my mother was going to school at that time and uh she met my father and got married and then my father went to war, World War One and then my mother moved back home with her family in Birmingham, you know. And I was just a baby, you understand. Your father had been an entertainer, is that right?

Lionel Hampton3:46

Yeah, well they tell me he played the piano. Where did you go to school?

Presenter3:51

Yeah. View.

Lionel Hampton3:51

Yeah.

Presenter3:51

What

Lionel Hampton3:51

Uh

Presenter3:51

In Loa, Wisconsin.

Lionel Hampton3:53

Yeah.

Presenter3:53

Yeah.

Lionel Hampton3:53

For what

Presenter3:53

But

Lionel Hampton3:53

Yeah, well I tell you, you know, in Birmingham, Alabama, we um I went to public school, you know, grammar school, uh not the kindergarten. And then my family moved north to Chicago, you know, where all the southern families was doing there in that time to get a better education for the kids and and a better way of life for all of the family, you know. And so we moved to Chicago and uh the schools was pretty rough there then, the public schools. So my grandmother, who was the head of the family, I had a mother and oh, but uh my grandmother picked out what was best for us, you know saying that she thought I should go to a nigga school other than the public school in Chicago. So I went to a school about ninety miles north of Chicago in in Wisconsin, in Carlis, Wisconsin. And the name of the school was the Holy Rose Academy.

Presenter4:46

Yes.

Speaker 24:46

Uh

Lionel Hampton4:46

And while I was there, well, they had a drum and fight corps.

Lionel Hampton4:51

And uh I put in because I wanted to play the drums, you know.

Lionel Hampton4:55

And uh we had Dominican sisters.

Lionel Hampton4:58

And one Dominican sister we had was a a great musician and she taught me the drums.

Speaker 25:02

Okay.

Lionel Hampton5:04

taught me the twenty six rhythms on drums. It was really a great experience. And you practised hard?

Lionel Hampton5:10

Yeah, I practice hard. Well, one thing that we did in in this school, we had to pray, study, and be obedient to your teacher, you know what I'm saying? Well, I did that for about a year and a half and I moved back to Chicago with my family and uh I got caught up in a newspaper boys band. There was a black newspaper in Chicago called the Chicago Defender Newspaper. That was one of the first black newspapers. That's right, yeah, yeah, and Mr. Abbott, who was the editor of the paper, wanted to do something for the kids in Chicago. So he said, If you sell my papers, I'll form a band and give you lessons and give you a uniform and instruments to play. And this is what happened. Our bandmaster was was a great, great musician. And his name was Major N. Clark Smith. And his claim to fame was that he was the bandmaster for the old Theodore Roosevelt Rough Riders. Was he? Yeah. And I got in the band, the the marching band that played the drums and in the concert orchestra I also play the zeldophones.

Speaker 25:18

Every

Speaker 15:33

That's right, yeah.

Lionel Hampton6:14

And then I used to listen at the records that Louis Armstrong and Coomin Hawkin used to make. And I could play their solos note for note on a set of orchestra bells that I had in in the concert band. And so I'm telling this to let you know how I started playing the vibes. So I stayed wi with Major N. Clark Smith because I was going to a Catholic school there in Chicago called St. Monica School. I went to the grammar school and went to the high school. And then my family moved a part of my family moved to Los Angeles, California. When I got there, well, I played with a teenage band by the name of Les Hyke. And we had a really swinging young band. It was 12 of us.

Lionel Hampton6:52

Our trumbone player was the great Lawrence Brown that played with Duke Elden so long. He came out of that band. And we did audition.

Lionel Hampton7:01

To play for Frank Sebastian's Cotton Club. Frank Sebastian had the big cotton club, uh, noted for having black entertainment. And uh, so uh we did audition for him. He liked our band, he hired us. At the same time, Louis Armstrong was bringing his uh manga, was bringing Louis and and his band out, the just Frank Sebastian's Cotton Club, to play engagement. But w when Louis' manager heard our band, he left Louis's band in New York City and just brought Louis out with his music, and we backed Louis up.

Lionel Hampton7:32

and Louis liked it so well that he took us on a recording session with him.

Lionel Hampton7:36

And the first time that jazz was played on The Vibes, I played with Louis Armstrong on a recording session. What was the number? Memories of You. One of the numbers you've chosen, in fact. Yes, right. And it was in August nineteen thirty one. Let's hear that now.

Presenter7:52

Beautiful record.

Presenter8:26

Louis Armstrong playing Memories of You and You on the Vibes. Where did you find that instrument? How did you come across it?

Lionel Hampton8:33

Well, it it was in the studio in a corner. You know, at that time they was only playing just two notes, three notes, bing, boom, boom, that's all. An arrangement. The vibar player would be the drummer in the band who who double owned uh this instrument.

Lionel Hampton8:48

And so Louis asked me, did I know anything about that instrument in the corner? I said, Sure, you know, because I knew all I had to do was make the transition from the zellophones or the auction bells to the the Viber hops because they had the same keyboard.

Presenter9:01

Yeah. So when we heard you playing it on that disc just now, you'd never played one before in your life.

Lionel Hampton9:07

There we did.

Presenter9:07

Who did?

Lionel Hampton9:07

So I I was upraising a youngster and had ambition and uh so Louis said, Play me an introduction on this tune that's coming up.

Lionel Hampton9:15

And I just found out that I played more than an induction after all these years.

Speaker 29:19

Stole these years.

Lionel Hampton9:21

I played the inn into it too.

Speaker 29:23

You're good too, yeah.

Lionel Hampton9:25

So uh uh so that's the first time the jazz ever was played on Viberhaus.

Presenter9:30

Now you played a lot with uh Louis Armstrong at that period. Would you agree that that was his best period here?

Lionel Hampton9:36

I think that Louis Armstrong was just an angel, he was a disciple, he was just a high person that just came from heaven that be down here on the earth and just gave us a a baptism and good music and and to know what what the what was happening with with his great style and and uh and where where the world should follow because we've all been following ever since Louis came in blowing his trumpet and started his singing.

Presenter10:01

About that time, if not on that session, he made The Peanut Vendor and I'm a Ding Dong Daddy. Were you on those? Sure I was. Yeah.

Lionel Hampton10:10

You hear the ding-dong dad, you hear the drum say, boom, boom. That's me hitting on the bass drum. Start the piece off.

Lionel Hampton10:18

Yeah.

Presenter10:18

You've got a story, Hamp, of of the time you played

Presenter10:22

Ding-dong daddy with with Louis Armstrong for most of an evening.

Lionel Hampton10:26

Yeah.

Presenter10:26

The story of the cowbill tells us that.

Lionel Hampton10:29

Yeah, well, you know what happened? Louis told me when we played in Poison, he said, you know, because Louis used to used to make just a million breaks of intricate, you know, hard passages on this trumpet that nobody else ever did and never heard before. So Louis said, when I'm going good, just hit on the car bell and I'll keep on going. So we had a broadcast. We used to do it at 11 o'clock at night from the Sebastian Scott Club and we closed an hour later at 12. So Louis opened up with Ding Dong Daddy that night and bang, I just kept hitting on the car bell. And Louis played one more and he would get more crazy and more intricate. And he was just out of this world. And the announcer had a flashlight used to flash from the booth in the back to let us know that it was going off the air. And he flashed that light and we had been playing Ding Dong Daddy for 55 minutes.

Lionel Hampton11:23

And then there's not a

Presenter11:24

And it's not a long chorus, is it?

Lionel Hampton11:25

And every musician in town was out there at Frank Sebastian's Cotton Club before we got through, and all the people were sitting up shouting and hollering and screaming at the top of their voices. And it was like Fourth Day of July. And I felt very happy. I was I was a hero.

Lionel Hampton11:42

Let's have another record. What should we have next? Here's a man that that talent has never been reached yet. Well, he's got his style, and and another one of my favorite I'm gonna tell you about has got his style. But here's a stylist that that that is only one like him. And I'm talking about Art Tatum. Oh, wonderful. He plays so many wonderful solos. And I like for to play one of these records and let's hear him. You got the diggers, man. Which one shall we hear? We got Will Awe for me. I think that's a classic, huh?

Presenter13:09

Art Tatum playing Willow Wheat for me. You recorded with um Art Tatum quite a bit. I certainly did. He he on piano and and you on vibes? Yes. In the years that you've been playing the vibes, I mean, has the instrument changed at all? I mean, is it developed?

Lionel Hampton13:26

Yeah, this had developed, you know, because uh uh a lot of uh youngsters that came along. I remember a youngster I met in Detroit one time and he looked in the instrument, so I gave him a pair of vibe hammers. It happened to be Milt Jackson. Oh well. And Milt just came along with his great subtle style, you know. Uh and um there's been Bobby Hutchinson and oh, it's been a lot of guys that I haven't heard the play personally, like this lad that that I'm talking about. But um the vibes have uh progressed.

Lionel Hampton14:00

And I know I progressed on the vibes. I tell you, you know, I'm just beginning to learn.

Lionel Hampton14:07

More and more, every dight that I play, more and more what to do on the vibes, you know what I'm saying? It hasn't touched the surface yet.

Lionel Hampton14:13

And I'm still out there digging to try and get some more. Right. You know, playing with uh with the Artatum, you know, a lot of musicians was was afraid to play with Artatum.

Presenter14:23

He was difficult to handle as it to get in.

Lionel Hampton14:24

What's it to guess?

Lionel Hampton14:25

Well, if you got caught in the traffic jam, you know, he he'd run over you.

Lionel Hampton14:30

If he didn't deserve the the signals, you know, the red light and the green light, see? But I had a lot of fun with him, you know. I guess I must have been on the right course because we became very close together, like one big family. And he really enjoyed playing it with him. And you know, talking about playing with art, I said a few minutes ago that I had another favorite on piano. And now I can say these are my two favorites. And I'm talking about Teddy Wilson. Yes. I think Teddy Wilson has landed so much to music. You know, I was reading an article the other day, you know, about the late Earl Hines. They said that Teddy Wilson came along and changed everybody's mind at that time about Earl Hines because all the kids was playing the Earl Hines style. But Teddy came along and I heard him too play as a piece called I Got a World on the String. And boy, this is really something to behold because Teddy Wilson's got that great satin style, you know, just so silky, you know, but it's great.

Presenter16:35

Teddy Wilson playing I Got the World on a String. Of course you played with Teddy Wilson in those beautiful Benny Goodman Quartet records. When did you first meet Benny? August

Lionel Hampton16:46

The twenty face

Lionel Hampton16:49

twenty first of august, nineteen thirty six, I was playing in a little cafe called the Paradise Nightclub in Los Angeles, California. Benny Goodman came out with his organization to play at the Palomar Ballroom, and his brother in law, John Hammond, told him about me.

Lionel Hampton17:06

So Benny came down and the place where I was playing at, the Paradise Nightclub, it was a beer garden.

Lionel Hampton17:15

twenty five cents pitcher of beer. But we was playing some hot music and I had a I had a hot jazz band. I had my band that time. I had the late Don Byers playing saxophone with me.

Lionel Hampton17:27

Don was playing out or then and making arrangements for us. The late Tyree Glenn playing trombone. Teddy Buckner, the great trumpet player from the West Coast, playing trumpet. And uh Wesley Prince was playing bass with me. Wesley Prince, the guy used to play with that King Cool trio before Joe Comfort came along. And um

Lionel Hampton17:47

Oh, we had a tremendous band, about eleven pieces of us. And so Benny came down and I heard this clan playing beside me. I said, Gee, who's this? And it looked at him as Benny and the piano player. I said, Oh, Teddy Wilson, and Gene was playing drums. And we started jamming like that. And we played for about two hours straight. And Benny liked it so well, he invited me to join a recording session the next morning with him at the RCA Victor. And we made two records. We made Moonglow and Dinah. And the records got so popular that Benny asked me to come and join him. So on November the 11th, 1936, I joined the Benny Goodman's organization and became the Benny Goodman Quartet. And Teddy Wilson and I became just really bosom friends.

Presenter18:32

Those quartet records and the quintet and sextet were well, it was jazz chamber music, wasn't it? Yeah, really.

Lionel Hampton18:35

Yeah.

Lionel Hampton18:38

Oh yeah. It it it was nothing like it at the time. It hasn't been anything that copied that particular style yet.

Presenter18:44

You were touring most of the time with Benny Goodman, were you?

Lionel Hampton18:47

Oh, yeah, we played north, south, east, and west. You know, it was the first time that black and white ever ever played together.

Presenter18:53

It was the first integrated band was

Lionel Hampton18:55

Place in the Grady Band i blacks was not playing any place on the stage and motion pictures. Only if job they you saw'em on the screen, they was acquired to be maids of butlers.

Lionel Hampton19:10

But uh there wasn't nobody in in baseball or football. I think the Benny Goodman Quartet was the front door for Jackie Robinson getting a major league baseball.

Lionel Hampton19:19

So it it w it was just a really um a heaven sent deal to have this great group together. And you know, we all fit wi with each other.

Lionel Hampton19:30

We all like to play with each other, we all love each other, we got along, and we never had a bit of racial trouble.

Lionel Hampton19:37

because everybody was listening to this magnificent music.

Presenter19:41

Well, it sounds just like that on the disc. Let's have another one. What are we going to have now?

Lionel Hampton19:45

Well, I tell you, you know, um, I was playing in Los Angeles, California with Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey at the time he was living and and all Charlie Barnett and Louis Armstrong, the late great one.

Lionel Hampton19:58

And we're doing a picture with um Danny Kay called uh

Lionel Hampton20:02

Oh, I can't think of the name of it now, but it's a very popular picture. You made a lot of pictures. And a concert was being held at night out in uh

Presenter20:06

Yeah.

Lionel Hampton20:10

In Pasadena, California, and they came up to ask me to come and play with them. This Gene Norman is a very popular disc jockey. So the director of the picture said, Well, Hamp can go, but we don't want to move his vibes because we got a station just right. It took us three or four days to get that vibe just straight because they had to take a shot of it in the picture, see? So I told him, If y'all get me some vibes, I'll come out and play. So, uh

Lionel Hampton20:37

I came out to play and uh

Lionel Hampton20:40

I started the introduce me and I started on Starters.

Lionel Hampton20:44

And the vibes I had, when I hit'em, I have to hold them with the other hand to keep the the bars from jumping off the vibes.

Speaker 220:49

Both divides.

Lionel Hampton20:52

So

Lionel Hampton20:53

And about two months later, Gene Naaman said, I got something very interesting for you to hear.

Lionel Hampton20:58

So I I listened and I said, Oh man, that started us I said, Gee, did I play all that? He said, Yes and he said, I'd like to get permission to make a deal which is to put the record out on the market.

Lionel Hampton21:09

So uh he did and uh it became one of my best records. And I think that uh in this also that uh Slam Stewart did a magnificent solo and Charlie Shavers really was outstanding. And also Willie Smith.

Lionel Hampton21:26

So that is that's just Jazz Starters.

Presenter21:30

Stardust, here it comes.

Presenter22:31

Stardust by the Lionel Hampton All-Stars. Hamp, we only had time for your solo. That's a good long track. Yeah, but I just want to give it an honorary mention.

Lionel Hampton22:40

All but mentioned those guys, it was fabulous, yeah.

Presenter22:41

I don't believe it.

Presenter22:44

When did you have your own band for the first time?

Lionel Hampton22:46

Oh, I had my band in nineteen between nineteen forty and nineteen forty one. I was in Los Angeles and Benny Goodman had to retire for a while because the doctors say he you know we used to play every night, sometime twice a a night. And they they want him to have a rest and uh so I was very anxious and I wanted to get going and Benny gave me permission to give me help and I started my own band.

Lionel Hampton23:12

I started in Los Angeles, California. Started with youngsters like Own Old Jackets was my tennis saxophone player.

Speaker 223:18

Really?

Lionel Hampton23:19

I had a problem. He played Alto and also the other Tiller Saxon player next to Gordon didn't have nothing but a clanette.

Lionel Hampton23:26

So we had to get them both tennis saxphones so they could be my tennis saxophones. And we had the Rawl boys and the late Arnie Rawl and Marshall Rawl. And um we had a terrific time. We had a really lovable band and a bunch of wonderful young guys.

Presenter23:43

You did a lot to launch some very distinguished careers. You helped Nat King Cole get started, didn't you?

Lionel Hampton23:48

Yes, uh, you know, Nat King Cole at the time was supposed to be my piano player. But after hearing him sing, I told him, I said, Let me help you get a group together. So we helped him get a group together and I he said, Must I put some horns in there? I said, No, you should just feature your piano player because you're a great jazz piano player and you got a very unique style of singing, and you are the same. Just a bass and guitar. And we got him a job at a place called the Radio Bar at on Sunset and Vine in Los Angeles, in Hollywood, California. And I took a couple of recording company people down to here and play and hear him sing, and he was rejected. And finally, I got the ear of one guy that he was starting a recording company called Capital Records Company. And they started and they gave Nat King Cole a break, and the first song he came up with was Straight Up and Fly Right. National hit. So Nat was launched on his own, but we always been good friends, and we both liked each other very much. Who else? Dinah Washington, you helped you. Yeah, I need a girl singer. And I stopped over in Chicago and heard this girl sing who was singing with a a spiritual group, you know, gospel group, to sing with little boy the Martin singers. And I liked the singing and

Speaker 124:49

Yeah.

Lionel Hampton25:00

And I told her to come out to the Regal Theater in Chicago on the South Side, at forty seven and South Parkway, that's where the the Black Theater was, you know. And those times they were doing uh three or four shows a day, you know.

Lionel Hampton25:14

And all of them packed. And this young girl came out and sang for me. And I liked her singing. So I said, I said, what is your name? She said, my name is Ruth Jones. I said, I like your singing. I'd like to change your name. She said, I don't care what you call me as long as you give me the job. I said, well, now your name is Donna Washington. I just queried out of the sky.

Speaker 125:33

Put it up.

Lionel Hampton25:34

And so it was a guy standing by us and he was backstage. He said, I came down here to do audition for you myself. You want to hear me sing? I said, You can sing in the next show. You know, we're doing matinees at that time in the theaters. So he sang and I hired him. His name was Joe Williams. Oh, well. They had a pretty good team. And Dizzy Gillespie will help a little bit. Yeah, Dizzy, Charlie Parker. Charlie Parker played with me quite a while, you know. But I couldn't keep him in the band'cause he'd go and disappear. He'd get a payday and disappear.

Speaker 226:03

That's it.

Lionel Hampton26:03

Come back to play, he didn't have no horn.

Presenter26:04

Yeah.

Presenter26:06

Yeah.

Lionel Hampton26:06

Uh

Presenter26:07

Yeah.

Presenter26:08

It's time we played another record. What shall we have now?

Lionel Hampton26:10

Well, I think we can spotlight Charlie Parker, huh?

Presenter26:13

Hmm?

Lionel Hampton26:14

He he was a guy that came up and really revolutionized the style. It was his sensitive playing a melody and and putting in things that was beautiful with his beautiful horn. And uh I I like to hear him play one of the first things he did, the Mucha the Mucha.

Presenter27:30

Most the mooch by the Charlie Parker Sex set with Miles Davis in there.

Presenter27:37

When did you first come to Europe, Hamp?

Presenter27:39

I came to Europe in nineteen fifty three. Well, that was the time when all the kids rioted. You had that tremendous sensation at the uh Embrace Hall, wasn't it?

Lionel Hampton27:48

That's right, yeah.

Lionel Hampton27:50

That that was wonderful, but I tell you, w we had a big swinging band as I have today.

Lionel Hampton27:57

And um

Lionel Hampton27:58

I tell you, the band was really phenomenal in this way. They could play good music and they looked like they enjoyed themselves. They were happy.

Speaker 128:06

Uh

Speaker 228:06

Yeah.

Speaker 128:06

PEP

Lionel Hampton28:08

See, and the public liked it, and they they caught on to us that night, man, and I think that after we closed they stood round in the streets and stood all outside for n for another half an hour, forty five minutes, still cheering and wanting more this type of music. Since that first trip,

Presenter28:25

You've been over here pretty regularly. Yes, uh huh. In fact, you flew all the way over on one occasion to give a concert for Christian Aid. Just here and back.

Lionel Hampton28:33

Just here and back.

Presenter28:37

No, where else do you go? Anywhere you haven't been?

Presenter28:40

Yeah.

Lionel Hampton28:40

Well

Presenter28:41

Yeah.

Lionel Hampton28:41

I know I've been to a lot of places and I'm satisfied the places I've been. I've been very happy that I could do'em.

Presenter28:46

Hope to do some more. Well, this present tour, I believe you're covering ten countries in five weeks. That's not bad. No, is that?

Lionel Hampton28:53

And there's another. And they has all been good to'em.

Lionel Hampton28:58

We've got up to record number seven. Watch that.

Lionel Hampton29:01

We got Coleman Hawkins.

Lionel Hampton29:02

Body and soul

Lionel Hampton29:04

Coleman Hawkins is the granddaddy of the tennis saxophones.

Lionel Hampton29:08

He's the man that made the teleps phone of Beautiful Lady.

Lionel Hampton29:12

and he caressed it and loved her all the time, and he played some beautiful songs with her.

Lionel Hampton29:17

My favorite to hearing Coleman Hawkins play was Body and Soul, and I think it was a whole album because it's one of the greatest records of all times.

Presenter30:24

Colin Hawkins Body and Soul.

Presenter30:27

Now, Hamp, we stuck you on this desert island. Have you any accomplishments that would be useful? I mean, are you good with your hands? Could you rig up some sort of shelter to live in?

Lionel Hampton30:37

Sure, I'm a great fisherman.

Presenter30:38

Yeah.

Lionel Hampton30:38

Bruh.

Presenter30:39

Uh

Lionel Hampton30:39

Uh

Presenter30:39

Bush.

Lionel Hampton30:39

Fisherman. Yeah. I go down to Bermuda and also go down to Acapuca and uh Mexico. You go after the big ones. Yeah, I go up in the marlins, man. I got some eight feet, nine feet. That'd last quite a while. Could you cook them when you got them? Oh, yes. You know, and I also like the smaller fish too, you know? I can catch them too. Mm-hmm. You know, they got different names. Some will call them sand dabs and some of them call them butterfish. But they're good eating.

Lionel Hampton31:07

And you can handle small boats? Oh, I like big boats. When I go out fishing, I always hire me a boat with a skipper and a helper and a probably cat someone along with me, extra. And the boat is

Presenter31:20

seventy three.

Lionel Hampton31:21

Yeah.

Presenter31:21

Well, on this island you've got to build your own boat and I would say seventy feet's gonna take a rather long time. Well I try to find me a big tree.

Lionel Hampton31:29

Hallelujah.

Presenter31:29

Yeah.

Presenter31:31

Yeah.

Lionel Hampton31:31

Would you try to escape?

Lionel Hampton31:32

Well, if I'm if I'm listening to these good records that I picked w they have with me and also a good eating pleasure biting. Yeah. And I know I can good get some good sleep out there on the island, so I'm happy. What's your last record? Number eight. What's that to be?

Speaker 131:40

Yeah.

Presenter31:40

Yeah, I'm not sure.

Lionel Hampton31:50

Well, it's a tune that I'm playing with my present band and I got some really swinging young cats in the band too. And some of the old standbys. And I'm playing like mad myself in this record. And it's called Jodo.

Presenter33:03

A brand new Lionel Hampton number, Jodo.

Presenter33:06

If you could take just Wonders Camp out of the eight you've played us, which would it be?

Presenter33:11

Memris of you

Presenter33:12

Lois Armstrong.

Lionel Hampton33:14

Louis Armstrong members of your

Presenter33:15

And your

Lionel Hampton33:15

Debut on the Vibe

Presenter33:16

Uh

Lionel Hampton33:16

Yeah, the first song I played vibes on.

Presenter33:19

If you could take one item of luxury to this island, what would you choose? A tape recorder. A tape recorder to sing into it? Well, to to talk to myself. To talk to yourself.

Presenter33:32

And one book. You already have the Bible and the complete works of Shakespeare. One other book.

Lionel Hampton33:37

Yeah.

Presenter33:37

Yeah.

Lionel Hampton33:37

Well, I like to take the book that I use every day connected with the Holy Bible, and that's uh Mary Becky Eddie's Science and Health with Key to the Scripture.

Presenter33:48

Yeah. Mary Baker, it is Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. Write. And thank you, Lionel Hampton, for letting us hear your Desert Island Discs. Thank you. God bless. Goodbye, everyone.

Speaker 134:24

You've been listening to a podcast from the Desert Island Discs Archive. For more podcasts, please visit bbc.co.uk slash radio four.