Established in 1967, the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival—annually held at the University of Idaho in Moscow—has attracted more than a few world-class musicians over the years. This outing from 1997 is no exception, with headliners including singers Diana Krall and Lou Rawls, saxophonist Joshua Redman, trombonists Carl Fontana and Bill Watrous, trumpeters Randy Brecker and brothers Pete and Conte Candoli, and Hampton himself, mostly backed by a “house quartet” consisting of drummer Elvin Jones, his brother Hank on piano, guitarist Herb Ellis, and bassist Brian Bromberg—surely one of the finest ad hoc rhythm sections ever assembled. The years have clearly taken their toll on some: Hampton, one of the first and greatest jazz vibraphonists, is pushing 90 here, and it shows—led gingerly on stage by Rawls, his playing, including on the signature tune “How High the Moon,” is halting and frail. The several septuagenarians in the bunch—including both Joneses, Ellis, and the Candolis—mostly fare better, with the trumpeters' bluesy, amusing take on the chestnut “Willow Weep for Me” being the highlight of the set. Thirtysomethings Krall (“The Nearness of You”) and Redman (“Angel Eyes”) acquit themselves nicely, as does Brecker, but this is pretty stock stuff overall—the tunes are standards, the arrangements unimaginative, and both the Dolby Digital stereo sound and image are less than stellar. An optional purchase. (S. Graham)
Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival 1997
(1997) 85 min. DVD: $19.99. Kultur International Films (avail. from most distributors). ISBN: 978-0-7697-9009-1. Volume 26, Issue 2
Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival 1997
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