Great Encounters: When Lionel Hampton recorded with the King Cole Trio

September 14th, 2020

.

.

“Great Encounters” are book excerpts that chronicle famous encounters among twentieth-century cultural icons. In this edition, Will Friedwald, author of Straighten Up and Fly Right: The Life and Music of Nat King Cole, writes about the 1940 Lionel Hampton/King Cole Trio RCA Victor recording sessions.

.

.

 

Excerpted from STRAIGHTEN UP AND FLY RIGHT by Will Friedwald.  Copyright 2020 by Will Friedwald and published by Oxford University Press.  All rights reserved.

.

.

___

.

.

 

 

 

photo by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress 

Nat King Cole and Oscar Moore, New York, N.Y., ca. July 1946

.

.

photo by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress

Lionel Hampton, Aquarium, New York, N.Y., ca. June 1946

.

 

___

.

 

 

DURING COLE’S 1954 TOUR of England, a local journalist and jazz buff asked him about the eight remarkable sides he cut with Lionel Hampton in 1940. “Golly, you remember those? This was while Hamp was still with Goodman. He heard the Trio one night on a club date, and thought he’d like to cut some records with us as his rhythm section.”

…..In September 1939, Down Beat had reported that while the Goodman orchestra was in Los Angeles, Hampton, as we know, “was out every night playing two-finger piano with King and his boys” at the Swanee Inn. This makes sense:  Hampton was rushing out after the Goodman gigs, and rather than dealing with the vibraphone or drums (there was no room for them on the Swanee bandstand in any case) he just sat next to Nat and played the piano as if it were a vibraphone and his fingers were mallets, two notes at a time. He told Down Beat at the time that he was already planning to “use the Trio on some records soon.”

…..In April 1940, the Goodman Orchestra was back in LA, playing the Palomar and recording for Columbia. On Thursday, April 10, Hampton played on a famous session with Goodman and Fred Astaire in the afternoon, but a few hours later, he was part of an equally auspicious team-up, when he guest starred with the Trio, for the only time in front of a general paying audience (as opposed to jamming after hours at the Paradise and at the Swanee). That evening, some enterprising producer was staging a “fastmoving, all-colored revue” done in the style of a Harlem nightclub at Los Angeles City College. “The King Cole Swing Trio” was on the bill, along with a roster of singers, dancers, and a big band. To the surprise and delight of the crowd, however, the biggest hit of the program was scored by Lionel Hampton, making a surprise appearance. “A program of jam and jive, [featuring] the guest appearance of the one and only Lionel Hampton, had the ancient L. A. City College Auditorium in an uproar last Thursday,” the California Eagle reported. “It remained for ‘Popsie’ Hampton, sitting in with the King Cole Trio, Nat Cole, Wesley Prince and Oscar Moore, to break up the show. His jamming the vibes on ‘Flying Home’ and ‘Moonglow,’ piano solo and drumming, had the campus agog for the rest of the day.”

…..The combination of Hampton and the King Cole Trio was too good not to be recorded. Hampton was currently making a series of all-star sessions for RCA Victor, using different musicians from various bands (including Ellington and Basie) as they happened to be in town. In May and July they would record eight titles total, using the Cole Trio as the core group, adding Hampton (mostly on vibraphone), and drummer Al Spieldock. Most of the eight numbers are Hampton originals, and six are instrumentals—Helen Forrest, one of the leading “canaries” of the big band era, then working with Goodman, sings on two, “I’d Be Lost without You” and the standard “Ghost of a Chance.” Claire Phillips was on hand as a timekeeper to make sure that none of these free-wheeling jam sessions exceeded the standard 78 RPM single playing time of three minutes.

…..Unlike the mystery drummer on the Ammor-Varsity titles, Hampton and Spieldock know enough not to try playing in the middle of the Cole-Moore-Prince sonic equation but rather to play around it. In fact, they balance each other, with Hampton’s vibes on the top of the sonic spectrum and Spieldock’s bass drum on the low end. The two guest players frame the three regulars, rather like a pair of parentheses, and, unlike the Ammor drummer, never get in their way. Ever the showman, Hamp also takes solos on piano and drums.

…..Spieldock is, at best, a footnote to jazz history, known for two things: his work on these sessions and being married at the time to Helen Forrest. His playing, mostly on brushes, is superb here, and Hampton’s is even more so. And even though Hampton already had a reputation as a show-boating, scene-stealing kind of a player—and he is, after all, the dominant instrumental voice—he’s frequently generous enough to cede the spotlight to Cole as well as the general direction of the ensemble.

…..There’s a lot of blues here, at nicely varied tempos. The opener, “House of Morgan,” is a pun on the famous banking family and a dedication to the leader’s uncle, Prohibition liquor-entrepreneur Richard Morgan, who had introduced his not-yet-famous nephew to his famous paramour, Bessie Smith. “House of Morgan” is medium fast, but “Jack the Bellboy” is much faster, climaxing in a full-on solo by Hampton. “Central Avenue Breakdown” is a spotlight for Hampton’s famous two-finger style keyboard soloing, a highly entertaining device that he used to goose audiences for many generations, only this time we can hear Cole playing more full-fingered piano accompaniment in the background.

…..Conversely, “Blue” isn’t a blues at all, but a rather lyrical pop song from the book of Earl Hines. “House of Morgan” and “Jack the Bellboy” come off like the Trio guesting on a Hampton date, but the two harmony vocals, “Dough-Rey-Mi” and “Jivin’ with Jarvis,” sound like King Cole Trio records with Hampton making a guest appearance. They were billed on the original RCA labels as the “Hampton Rhythm Boys”—the vocal on the latter is just chanting the title at the start of each A .section (and introducing a scat break by Hampton), but that’s all that’s necessary.

…..The group also plays beautifully behind Forrest on her two ballad vocals— she is easily the best female singer they would accompany, at least up to Anita O’Day in 1944. Which brings up another point:  Hampton later wrote of Cole, “I liked his style of piano playing, but even more I.liked his singing.  .I was the one who kept telling him, ‘Man, you sing, you sing.’ I .knew he could sell the public on his singing.” Which naturally enough begs the question:  Hampton being the leader, why didn’t he ask Cole to sing on “I’d Be Lost without You” and “Ghost of a Chance”—or even “Blue (Because of You?)”

…..The eight titles are overall superb, so much so that one of Cole’s favorite bandleaders, the great Jimmie Lunceford, paid him the honor of commissioning a big band orchestration of “Jivin’ with Jarvis.” Hampton and Cole also continued to “jam” together at the Casa Manana “Monday Night Jamboree,” one Monday in August, in the middle of Lunceford’s gig there.

…..The recordings were so well received that some people started getting ideas. Journalist Leonard Feather, writing in Down Beat, reported that Hampton was organizing his own orchestra and “The King Cole Trio, famed nightery unit, will be incorporated in the new combination.” Hampton later denied that this was ever his idea and suggested instead that Feather was the one who was lobbying for a permanent Hampton-Cole combination. “I had plans for a new band that did not include Nat’s kind of sound. Besides, I .wasn’t planning on a featured singer, and I. knew that’s where Nat’s real popularity was going to come.” However, Nat himself remembered that it was indeed Hamp’s idea that they should keep on working together. “Then Hamp formed his own band and wanted us to join en bloc. Well, sir, we’d just got the Trio going, and I. just didn’t know. I .dickered with the idea, and finally asked Count Basie for some advice. Bill said I’d be damn silly, all those fine things we were starting to do within the group would be blasted out by Hamp’s powerhouse stuff. So we didn’t join.”  He was right, the Trio’s kind of “chamber jazz,” which they were featuring on the November 1940 sessions for Standard, was just not Hampton’s “kind of sound”; the vibraphonist and showman’s big band would be much louder, much less subtle, and highly oriented toward raucous R&B-centric dance music.

…..To give Hamp credit, he later did much to help “discover” such essential vocalists as Dinah Washington and Joe Williams. But, in his rather dubious memoir, he made all kinds of audacious claims:. by his account, he was not only the one who encouraged Nat to sing, but he was also responsible for getting Capitol Records to record Nat doing “Straighten Up and Fly Right”; Capitol, he said, only did so as a personal favor to him. This is likely more than a bit of an exaggeration. But then again, perhaps it’s not a coincidence that between the two Hampton sessions, in June 1940, the Trio played at the opening of a new music store on Sunset and Vine; “Music City,” as it was called, was owned and operated by Glenn Wallichs (and his father Oscar). It’s altogether likely that Johnny and Ginger Mercer were there for the opening. As Dave Dexter Jr. later remembered, “Glenn Wallichs was running this music shop at Sunset and Vine, in Hollywood, called ‘Music City.’ It was without a doubt the most successful retailing venture in the record business west of Chicago. Johnny Mercer used to come in, buy his records [presumably meaning records of his songs], sit around and play records he wanted to hear.”

…..Whatever Lionel Hampton’s actual role in the King Cole Story—beyond the great sessions of 1940—and apart from whatever Hamp wanted to take credit for, as it happened, Cole did make his first contact with Wallichs at the very moment he was working with Hamp.

.

___

.

Excerpted from STRAIGHTEN UP AND FLY RIGHT by Will Friedwald.  Copyright 2020 by Will Friedwald and published by Oxford University Press.  All rights reserved.

.

.

___

.

.

 

Listen to “Jivin’ With Jarvis”

.

.

.

 

Share this:

One comments on “Great Encounters: When Lionel Hampton recorded with the King Cole Trio”

  1. very informative…but this article does not mention the 78 I have with nats trio with Lionel on drums…playing ring dem bells…..what a recording

Comment on this article:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Site Archive

In This Issue

painting of Clifford Brown by Paul Lovering
A Collection of Jazz Poetry — Spring/Summer, 2024 Edition...In this, the 17th major collection of jazz poetry published on Jerry Jazz Musician, 50 poets from all over the world again demonstrate the ongoing influence the music and its associated culture has on their creative lives.

(featuring the art of Paul Lovering)

Feature

photo of Rudy Van Gelder via Blue Note Records
“Rudy Van Gelder: Jazz Music’s Recording Angel” – an essay by Joel Lewis...For over 60 years, the legendary recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder devoted himself to the language of sound. And although he recorded everything from glee clubs to classical music, he was best known for recording jazz – specifically the musicians associated with Blue Note and Prestige records. Joel Lewis writes about his impact on the sound of jazz, and what has become of his Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey studio.

Interview

Interview with James Kaplan, author of 3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and the Lost Empire of Cool...The esteemed writer tells a vibrant story about the jazz world before, during, and after the 1959 recording of Kind of Blue, and how the album’s three genius musicians came together, played together, and grew together (and often apart) throughout the experience.

Publisher’s Notes

photo by Rhonda Dorsett
On turning 70, and contemplating the future of Jerry Jazz Musician...

The Sunday Poem

"Bluesnik" by Martel Chapman
”Jazz Improv” by Michael Keshigian

Click here to read previous editions of The Sunday Poem

Essay

“Gone Guy: Jazz’s Unsung Dodo Marmarosa,” by Michael Zimecki...The writer remembers the late jazz musician Michael “Dodo” Marmarosa, awarded Esquire Magazine’s New Star Award in 1947, and who critics predicted would dominate the jazz scene for the next 30 years.

Short Fiction

Impulse! Records and ABC/Dunhill Records. Photographer uncredited/via Wikimedia Commons
Short Fiction Contest-winning story #66 — “Not From Around Here” by Jeff Dingler...The author’s award-winning story is about a Jewish kid coming of age in Alabama and discovering his identity through music, in particular the interstellar sound of Sun Ra..

Click here to read more short fiction published on Jerry Jazz Musician

Playlist

“‘Different’ Trios” – a playlist by Bob Hecht...A 27-song playlist that focuses on non-traditional trio recordings, featuring trios led by the likes of Carla Bley, Ron Miles, Dave Holland and Jimmy Giuffre...

Feature

Excerpts from David Rife’s Jazz Fiction: Take Two – Vol. 5: “Scott Joplin: King of Ragtime”...A substantial number of novels and stories with jazz music as a component of the story have been published over the years, and the scholar David J. Rife has written short essay/reviews of them. In this sixth edition of excerpts from his book, Rife writes about jazz novels and short stories that feature a theme of “mystery.”

Interview

Interview with Larry Tye, author of The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America...The author talks about his book, an intensely researched, spirited, and beautifully told story – and an important reminder that Armstrong, Ellington, and Basie all defied and overcame racial boundaries “by opening America’s eyes and souls to the magnificence of their music.”

Poetry

John Coltrane, by Martel Chapman
Four poets, four poems…on John Coltrane

Feature

What we discover about Kamala Harris from an armful of record albums...Like her or not, readers of this site will enjoy learning that Vice President Kamala Harris is a fan of jazz music. Witness this recent clip (via Youtube) of her emerging from a record shop…

Short Fiction

Munich University of Music and Theater/© Raimond Spekking/via Wikimedia Commons
“The Pianist (Part One)” – a short story by J. C. Michaels...The story – finalist in the recently concluded 66th Short Fiction Contest – describes the first lesson at a music conservatory of a freshman piano-performance major who is more accustomed to improvising than reading music. It is an excerpt from a novel-in-progress.

Poetry

“Revival” © Kent Ambler.
If You Want to Go to Heaven, Follow a Songbird – Mary K O’Melveny’s album of poetry and music...While consuming Mary K O’Melveny’s remarkable work in this digital album of poetry, readings and music, readers will discover that she is moved by the mastery of legendary musicians, the wings of a monarch butterfly, the climate and political crisis, the mysteries of space exploration, and by the freedom of jazz music that can lead to what she calls “the magic of the unknown.” (with art by Kent Ambler)

Book Excerpt

A book excerpt from Designed for Success: Better Living and Self-Improvement with Midcentury Instructional Records, by Janet Borgerson and Jonathan Schroeder...In this excerpt, the authors write extensively about music instruction and appreciation records dealing with the subject of jazz.

Interview

The Marvelettes/via Wikimedia Commons
Interview with Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz, authors of But Will You Love Me Tomorrow?: An Oral History of the 60’s Girl Groups...Little is known of the lives and challenges many of the young Black women who made up the Girl Groups of the ‘60’s faced while performing during an era rife with racism, sexism, and music industry corruption. The authors discuss their book’s mission to provide the artists an opportunity to voice their experiences so crucial to the evolution of popular music.

Short Fiction

photo via FreeRangeStock
“Hip Replacements” – a short story by William Torphy...The story – a short-listed entry in our recently concluded 66th Short Fiction contest – is a humorous take on a septuagenarian attempt to resurrect a revival band.

Art

photo of Johnny Griffin by Giovanni Piesco
The Photographs of Giovanni Piesco: Johnny Griffin and Von Freeman...Beginning in 1990, the noted photographer Giovanni Piesco began taking backstage photographs of many of the great musicians who played in Amsterdam’s Bimhuis, that city’s main jazz venue which is considered one of the finest in the world. Jerry Jazz Musician will occasionally publish portraits of jazz musicians that Giovanni has taken over the years. This edition is of saxophonists Johnny Griffin and Von Freeman, who appeared together at the at Bimhuis on June 25/26, 1999.

Short Fiction

Shisma, CC BY 4.0  via Wikimedia Commons
“Nostalgia” – a short story by John-Paul Cote...Harlan has an addiction. A most illegal addiction. It drives him from morning until night. He dreams of it. How can he escape it before it brings him into the arms of the law? Down a dark alley he will find out just how far he is willing to go.

Essay

“Like a Girl Saying Yes: The Sound of Bix” – an essay by Malcolm McCollum...The first time Benny Goodman heard Bix Beiderbecke play cornet, he wondered, “My God, what planet, what galaxy, did this guy come from?” What was it about this musician that captivated and astonished so many for so long – and still does?

Trading Fours with Douglas Cole

Trading Fours, with Douglas Cole, No. 21: “The Blue Truth”...In this edition, the poet riffs on Oliver Nelson’s classic 1961 album The Blues and the Abstract Truth as if a conversation between conductor and players were caught on tape along with the inner monologue of some mystery player/speaker of the poem.

In Memoriam

Hans Bernhard (Schnobby), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
“Remembering Joe Pass: Versatile Jazz Guitar Virtuoso” – by Kenneth Parsons...On the 30th anniversary of the guitarist Joe Pass’ death, Kenneth Parsons reminds readers of his brilliant career

Book Excerpt

Book excerpt from Jazz with a Beat: Small Group Swing 1940 – 1960, by Tad Richards

Click here to read more book excerpts published on Jerry Jazz Musician

Jazz History Quiz #176

photo of Lester Young by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress
While legendary as a saxophonist, his first instrument was a violin and his second the piano — which he played well enough to work as an accompanist to silent movies. Ultimately it was Lester Young’s father who taught him the saxophone well enough that he switched instruments for good. (It was during this time that he also saved Lester from drowning in a river). Who is he?

Community

photo via Picryl.com
“Community Bookshelf” is a twice-yearly space where writers who have been published on Jerry Jazz Musician can share news about their recently authored books and/or recordings. This edition includes information about books published within the last six months or so (March – September, 2024)

Contributing Writers

Click the image to view the writers, poets and artists whose work has been published on Jerry Jazz Musician, and find links to their work

Coming Soon

An interview with Larry Tye, author of The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America; an interview with Jonathon Grasse, author of Jazz Revolutionary: The Life & Music of Eric Dolphy; A new collection of jazz poetry; a collection of jazz haiku; a new Jazz History Quiz; short fiction; poetry; photography; interviews; playlists; and lots more in the works...

Interview Archive

Ella Fitzgerald/IISG, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Click to view the complete 25-year archive of Jerry Jazz Musician interviews, including those recently published with Judith Tick on Ella Fitzgerald (pictured),; Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz on the Girl Groups of the 60's; Tad Richards on Small Group Swing; Stephanie Stein Crease on Chick Webb; Brent Hayes Edwards on Henry Threadgill; Richard Koloda on Albert Ayler; Glenn Mott on Stanley Crouch; Richard Carlin and Ken Bloom on Eubie Blake; Richard Brent Turner on jazz and Islam; Alyn Shipton on the art of jazz; Shawn Levy on the original queens of standup comedy; Travis Atria on the expatriate trumpeter Arthur Briggs; Kitt Shapiro on her life with her mother, Eartha Kitt; Will Friedwald on Nat King Cole; Wayne Enstice on the drummer Dottie Dodgion; the drummer Joe La Barbera on Bill Evans; Philip Clark on Dave Brubeck; Nicholas Buccola on James Baldwin and William F. Buckley; Ricky Riccardi on Louis Armstrong; Dan Morgenstern and Christian Sands on Erroll Garner; Maria Golia on Ornette Coleman.