A Musical Note
Since Lionel Hampton died a few days ago, tonight I pulled out an old movie from my collection, A Song is Born, which featured Hampton, along with many jazz legends, including Benny Goodman, Mel Powell, Tommy Dorsey, and Louis Armstrong. The movie itself is a little lame, but the music, mostly in the first half, makes all of Danny Kaye's stumbling and stammering worthwhile.
I also listened to Hampton's set on Benny Goodman's Carnegie Hall concert. A lot of musicians achieve competence through sheer hard work, perserverence, and dedication. Others achieve fame through luck, good marketing, or having the right sound for the times. But only a rare few are born to play. Lionel Hampton was one, as was Charlie Parker, Goodman, Miles Davis, among others. They take their music to a new level, not so much playing their instruments as speaking through them. It's the difference between playing music and being a musician.
Posted by Rich at September 19, 2002 3:26 AM