Wednesday, April 21, 2010

for lionel hampton (18)


for lionel hampton
(1908 -- 2002)

"there was no better school in the world
than the lionel hampton orchestra.
he taught me how to groove &
how to laugh & how to hang
& how to live like a man."
-- Quincy Jones

o luminous national treasure, the very heart & soul of jazz;
to the music u were betrothed; to but play, yr fate & destiny,
such a fructifying spirit, full of vigor & pizzazz.

a focal figure on yr instrument, ingenuous, as great as
they come. u gave to the music a brand new vibraphonic voice
o luminous national treasure, the very heart & soul of jazz;

with serendipitous instant synergy, yr joyous playing has
healed the wounded spirit, fixed the heart & soothed the soul;
such a fructifying spirit, full of vigor & pizzazz.

u would swing until u dropped, scat “hey baba re ba” as well as
cut a mean rug with flashfancy foot & solo work,
o luminous national treasure, the very heart & soul of jazz.

u gave personality to an instrument thought sterile, cold as
apathy; raised its vibratory rate, made it simmer, made it swing,
such a fructifying spirit, full of vigor & pizzazz.

that we’ve been touched by yr music; yr vision come to pass
is evident in our beaming smiles when u come to mind.
o luminous national treasure, the very heart & soul of jazz;
such a fructifying spirit, full of vigor & pizzazz.


©Joseph McNair;2010

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