Lionel Hampton Essentials

A trailblazer in terms of the vibraphone's use in jazz, Lionel Hampton was necessarily a melodist, too—as you can hear on his collaborations with drummers like Buddy Rich and saxophonists like Stan Getz. His compatibility with piano heavyweight Art Tatum was also a highlight of the early LP era. And once you toss in his early mentoring of a young arranger (and trumpeter) named Quincy Jones, Hampton's overall impact on American music becomes impossible to quantify. Get started right here.