Flying Home

The recordings of Lionel Hampton have rarely been treated with as much respect as on ASV/Living Era's two-disc collection titled after his biggest hit, Flyin' Home. It takes in a mere 20 years of his career, from his debut with the vibraphone in 1930 (on the hit "Memories of You," thanks to a suggestion by leader Louis Armstrong) to the end of the '40s. The compilers made plenty of wise choices, including a pair of tracks from the trailblazing Benny Goodman Quartet (jazz music's first integrated band) featuring Hampton on vibes, his best feature on drums ("Drum Stomp (Crazy Rhythm)"), and three of his hottest boogie sides from the '40s: "Hamp's Boogie Woogie," "Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop," and "Air Mail Special." The only caveat is that the version of "Stardust" -- from a 1947 live date in Pasadena, one of the best moments for Hampton specifically and 20th century jazz in general -- is truncated to only the last three minutes (of a 15-minute performance). ~ John Bush|