Pictured (l-r) are BMI's Robbin Ahrold, Gunther Schuller, Paquito D'Rivera and Smithsonian Curator of American Music John Hasse. Hasse developed the Jazz Appreciation Month program, which is led by the Smithsonian, seven years ago. Both Hasse and the NEA's Gioia are BMI composers.

The National Endowment for the Arts saluted the importance of jazz as an American cultural art form, and supported the kickoff of Jazz Appreciation Month jazz program at their headquarters in Washington DC on March 28. Keynoting at the event, organized by NEA Chairman Dana Gioia, was BMI composer Gunther Schuller, with performances by BMI Latin composer and saxophone virtuoso Paquito d'Rivera and his trio. BMI composers represent the majority of the 100 NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship recipients, the highest honors that our nation bestows upon jazz musicians.

At CNN's "Crossfire" studio at George Washington University, for the media event kicking off Jazz Appreciation Month, are from left: BMI composer and Director of the Smithsonian Jazz Orchestra Dr. David Baker, National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia, BMI composer and JAM Ambassador for 2008 Ramsey Lewis, BMI's Charlie Feldman, Smithsonian Curator of American Music John Hasse

During a special ceremony on March 31, Ramsey Lewis engaged fellow musician Larry Coryell in a conversation about jazz as America’s national treasure and global export. Lewis also donated artifacts from his career to the museum’s music collections.

JAM is an annual event that pays tribute to jazz both as a historic and living American art form. Throughout the month, the Smithsonian will present numerous events, including performances, talks and family activities in venues across Washington, D.C.

National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia addresses the VIP luncheon and speaks about NEA's Jazz Masters program.

“Jazz is a truly American style of music that has played an important role in our heritage,” said Brent D. Glass, director of the National Museum of American History. “Through the Smithsonian’s Jazz Appreciation Month activities, we will highlight jazz and its history and how the genre has an important function in global diplomacy.”

Lewis’s donation of archival materials documenting his career consists of photographs, publicity materials, news clippings and awards. The awards include his 2007 designation as a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts and his designation as a living “Legendary Landmark of Chicago” in the same year. These items will join the museum’s collection of memorabilia from other jazz musicians, including Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw and Duke Ellington.

Charlie Feldman addresses the media and VIP audience at the JAM kickoff.

The National Museum of American History launched JAM in 2001 and it has since grown to include celebrations in all 50 states and 33 other countries. This year the Smithsonian will present a record 34 events, including performances by the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, appearances by NEA Jazz Masters Sonny Rollins, Dave Brubek, David N. Baker and Candido Camero. A complete schedule of JAM events is available at http://smithsonianjazz.org.

The 2008 JAM celebration is underwritten by generous financial support from the Herb Alpert Foundation; BMI; the Ella Fitzgerald Foundation; and NAMM, the International Music Products Association. WAMU Radio, 88.5 FM, is the media partner in the nation’s capital, providing public service announcements.

National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia and BMI's Charlie Feldman share the recognition of BMI's many NEA Jazz Masters at the JAM kickoff.

"BMI has a proud tradition of support for the jazz idiom and the composers and artists in the jazz community, reaching back to our beginnings in the 1940s," said BMI Vice President Charlie Feldman at the March 31 media kickoff event. “BMI made it possible for jazz composers, for the first time, to receive royalties for airplay of their work — composers and artists from Coltrane to Monk, from John Lewis to Myles Davis. As a matter of fact, BMI represents the majority of the National Endowment for the Arts ‘Jazz Masters,’ an honor that is the equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize in the world of jazz.

"Today, we salute one of those jazz masters, a composer, artist and broadcaster who has been part of the BMI family for more than 45 years, the legendary Ramsey Lewis.

BMI's Robbin Ahrold and Fred Cannon, BMI composer and JAM Ambassador for 2008 Ramsey Lewis, BMI jazz composer Larry Coryell and BMI's Charlie Feldman share a moment at the VIP kickoff luncheon for Jazz Appreciation Month at George Washington University in the nation's Capitol.

"With three Grammys and five gold records — and counting — Ramsey is one of the most prolific composer/artists in the BMI family, with more than 200 compositions in his catalog. He has achieved BMI’s highest honors, beginning in 1966 with his BMI Award for ‘Wade in the Water,’ one of the most-performed songs on U.S. radio that year, to just last year when we joined the industry in Nashville as Ramsey won the 2007 Stellar Award for Best Gospel Instrumental Album.

"Ramsey is an absolute natural to be the standard bearer this year for Jazz Appreciation Month — he is, after all, the voice of jazz to millions of Americans through his nationally syndicated radio shows and his stunning new public television series, ‘Legends of Jazz.’ His passion and commitment to the next generation of jazz fans is also legendary, through his many youth education initiatives, and through his important work at the Ramsey Lewis Foundation."

In commemorating JAM 2008, the museum collaborated with a diverse group of 31 organizations, institutions, associations and federal agencies that have provided financial and in-kind support and organized programs and outreach of their own. This year the museum is welcoming the American Federation of Teachers, The U.S. Conference of Mayors and XM Radio to the group.

The evening will also announce the winner of the BMI Foundation's seventh annual Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize, given to the writer of the best new work composed in the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop. This year's judges include jazz virtuosos Robin Eubanks and Joe Lovano, and noted jazz authority Dan Morgenstern.

The winning composer will receive a cash award and the $3000 Manny Albam Commission to compose a new piece for the following year's concert. Named in memory of the Workshop's co-founder and longtime musical director, last year's Manny Albam Commission winner, Sherisse Rogers, will premiere her commissioned work during the showcase.

The BMI Jazz Composers Workshop is led by internationally renowned composers Jim McNeely and Michael Abene, and offers a unique collaborative environment for professional jazz musicians with an emphasis on composition for the large jazz (big band) ensemble. The Workshop - a well-known forum for creative excellence - provides an environment where composers are free to explore new avenues in the creative process, while at the same time honing their skills. McNeely has performed with and written for Chet Baker, Stan Getz, Joe Henderson and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, among others, and is a six-time Grammy Award nominee. Abene is the Dean of the Manhattan School of Music, and has composed and arranged for Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy Rich, Chick Corea and others; he is also a well-known record producer.

BMI's impressive roster of jazz artists includes such legends as Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Lionel Hampton and Charles Mingus, as well as today's new jazz stars like Herbie Hancock, Norah Jones, Kevin Eubanks, Joshua Redman, Mark Whitfield and Bobby Watson.

The BMI Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1985 to support the creation, performance, and study of music through awards, scholarships, commissions and grants. Tax-deductible donations to the Foundation come primarily from songwriters, composers and publishers, BMI employees and members of the public with a special interest in music. Because both the Foundation staff and the distinguished members of the Advisory Panel serve without compensation, over 95% of all donations and income are used for charitable grants.]]> 2006-06-01T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/334787 Artists, Brubeck, Dave, Davis, Miles, Eubanks, Kevin, Hampton, Lionel, Hancock, Herbie, Holiday, Billie, Jones, Norah, Mingus, Charles, Monk, Thelonious, Parker, Charlie, Redman, Joshua, Watson, Bobby, Whitfield, Mark, Musical Styles, Jazz Jazz Appreciation Month, or JAM for short, kicked off this April with a special fifth anniversary ceremony held at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Sponsored by BMI and presented by the Smithsonian, the annual, month-long celebration pays tribute to this living art form by raising awareness of jazz and its history through performances, dance, film, programs and displays at the museum.

Donors gather with representatives of the national JAM partner, sponsor, and collaborator organizations. Back row: Jean Banks, BMI; Gale Monk; Thelonious Monk, Jr.; Dan Schuman, U.S. State Department; John Stevenson, Voice of America; Wayne Brown, National Endowment for the Humanities; Sandra Gibson, Association of Performing Arts Presenters; Mara Walker, Americans for the Arts; Cynthia Minnick, U.S. Department of Defense; Dwan Reese, National Endowment for the Humanities; Jennifer Adams, PBS; Barry Robinson, representing IAJE; Kristin Wilson, Association of Public Television Stations; Carol Sue Fromboluti, U.S. Department of Education; Patricia May, American Library Association. Front row: Dr. John Edward Hasse, National Museum of American History; Dr. Brent Glass, National Museum of American History; Fran Morris Rosman, Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation; Dr. Jonathan D. Katz, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies; Roger Whitworth, representing the American Federation of Musicians and the Music Performance Fund; Herman Leonard; Paul Kerlin, MENC; Bill Pace, Chamber Music America; Cheryl Davis; Vince Wilburn, Jr.; Vince Wilburn, Sr. Smithsonian. Photo by Hugh Talman

On hand were the families of legendary BMI jazz artists Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk who donated objects and manuscripts from their estates. Jazz photographer Herman Leonard also donated some of his photographs.

"Jazz is truly an American form of music that has played and continues to play an important role in our history from its birth in the South in the late 1800s and early 1900s to its later fusion with other forms of popular music," said Brent D. Glass, Director of the National Museum of American History. "Through the museum's Jazz Appreciation Month activities, we highlight jazz and its significant history, while exposing audiences to this significant piece of American culture."

Miles Davis (1926-1991), a trumpeter and composer, helped pioneer a wide variety of jazz music from cool jazz to hard-pop to jazz-rock fusion, while becoming the most dominant figure in jazz during the second half of the 20th century. The seven-time Grammy award-winning artist began his career playing with jazz greats such as Charlie Parker, Benny Carter and Billy Eckstine, but he would go on to create his own distinct lyrical style that was often lonely and introspective. Davis recorded the best-selling jazz album in history, Kind of Blue (1959). Donations from the Davis family included a Versace suit that Davis wore during the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in 1991; a sheaf of parts for "Summertime," arranged for Davis by Gil Evans based on George Gershwin's "Porgy & Bess"; and an electronic wind instrument used by Davis.

Thelonious Monk (1917-1982) is often regarded as one of the greatest composers in jazz history, creating such classics as "Round Midnight," "Blue Monk" and "Criss Cross." Credited with helping pioneer bebop as a form of jazz, he was also an accomplished pianist who created an iconic sound through unorthodox voicings and an unusual approach to rhythm. In 1964, Monk was featured on the cover of Time magazine-one of five jazz musicians to ever make the cover. He recently received a special posthumous citation from the Pulitzer Prize board. Donations from the Monk family included one of his iconic skull caps; a handwritten manuscript for "Four in One," which was first recorded in 1951; and other articles of clothing worn by Monk, including a jacket, vest and ties.

Jazz photographer Herman Leonard began his career in the 1940s in the jazz clubs of Broadway, 52nd Street and Harlem, N.Y. Throughout the years he developed relationships with and photographed many jazz greats, including Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington. Leonard's extensive portfolio extends beyond jazz, though, as he has photographed other American icons like Albert Einstein, Harry S. Truman, Clark Gable and Marlon Brando. Leonard's donation consists of 20 black-and-white photographs, including images of Louis Armstrong, Holiday, Gillespie, Lena Horne and Tony Bennett.

The donated items join the museum's collection of memorabilia from other jazz musicians, including Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw and Ellington, and are showcased in a special display "Miles & Monk: New Jazz Acquisitions," which opened March 30.

April was chosen for JAM to honor the birthdays of such jazz legends as Ellington, Fitzgerald, Puente, Charles Mingus and Gerry Mulligan. Throughout the entire month, the museum highlights jazz music through concerts, programs and displays. Schools, colleges, museums, concert halls, libraries and public broadcasters are encouraged to offer special programs of their own every April.

The Smithsonian operates the world's most comprehensive set of jazz programs, including Jazz Appreciation Month. It collects jazz artifacts, documents, recordings and oral histories; curates exhibitions and traveling exhibitions; operates its own big band, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra; publishes books and recordings on jazz; offers fellowships for research in its collections; and offers concerts, educational workshops, master classes, lectures, seminars and symposia.

With an impressive roster of jazz legends that includes Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Lionel Hampton and Charles Mingus, as well as today's new jazz stars like Herbie Hancock, Norah Jones, Kevin Eubanks, Joshua Redman, Mark Whitfield and Bobby Watson, BMI has supported jazz from the start and continues today with programs such as the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, the BMI Foundation's Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize and the BMI/Thelonious Monk Institute Jazz Composers Competition.

Among the items from Charles' estate are a Yamaha KX 88 keyboard marked in braille that he used during concert tours in the 1980s and 1990s, three costumes worn onstage, braille editions of popular magazines, a chess set for the blind, a traveling bathroom kit and a pair of his signature Ray-Ban sunglasses. Adams will donate photographs from his own career, including scripts, casting materials and news clips from the motion picture The Manchurian Candidate and the Broadway show Jamaica; two costumes he wore onstage when introducing Charles; and various other ephemera from Charles and Adams collaborations.

Pictured at the ceremony are John Hasse, Curator, Division of Music, Sports and Entertainment; Joe Adams, Ray Charles' business manager; and Dr. Brent Glass, Director, National Museum of American History. photo by Robbin Ahrold

One of America's best-loved musicians, Charles was born September 23, 1930 in Georgia, a state he later immortalized with his signature song "Georgia On My Mind." Left completely blind from glaucoma by the age of seven, Charles studied at a special school for the deaf and blind and decided to become a musician. After his groundbreaking recording for Atlantic Records, "I Got A Woman," Charles found a wide audience for his unique sound that fused gospel with r&b.

In 1960 he switched labels and became one of the first artists to negotiate the right to own his own masters. During this period, Charles recorded some of his biggest hits, including "Georgia," "Unchain My Heart" and "Hit the Road, Jack." In 1962, he and Adams formed their own label, RPM International, where he continued to produce hits in the r&b, soul, blues, jazz, country, rock and pop genres.

During a career that spanned more than five decades, Charles won 17 Grammy Awards, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and received the National Medal of Arts, among many other honors. The donation fell two days before what would have been Charles' 75th birthday; he died in June of 2004.

The day before the ceremony, Rhino Entertainment released a special 75th birthday tribute entitled Genius and Friends, a collection of 14 new and previously unreleased superstar duets recorded during the 1990s. Simultaneously, Rhino also published a special package, Pure Genius-The Complete Atlantic Recordings (1952-1959), featuring almost nine hours of favorites and previously unreleased materials on seven CDs and a bonus DVD.

The National Museum of American History has a long tradition of collections, exhibitions and public programs dedicated to telling the story of America's music. The museum is home to 100,000 pages of Duke Ellington's unpublished music; costumes belonging to Ella Fitzgerald, Celia Cruz, Carol Channing and Bobby Short; and instruments used by Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Tito Puente and Herbie Hancock. In 2002, the museum initiated Jazz Appreciation Month, an annual national and international celebration of jazz every April. Visitors to the museum since May 2005 have enjoyed the exhibition, "�Az?car! The Life and Music of Celia Cruz," which celebrates the Queen of Salsa, and opening in 2006 will be "Honky Tonk: Country Music Photos by Henry Hornstein," a photography exhibition that looks at the early years of country music and some of its most legendary artists.]]> 2005-09-20T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/234016 Artists, Conyers, John, Davis, Miles, Hampton, Lionel, Hancock, Herbie, Monk, Thelonious, Preston, Frances, Musical Styles, Dance, Jazz, Pop, R&B, Type, Important, International BMI composer and music legend Herbie Hancock donated several of his instruments to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in a special ceremony on March 30 that kicked off Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM). Sponsored by BMI, JAM is an annual event that pays tribute to jazz as both an historic and a living art form. During the month of April, the museum will highlight the history and music of jazz through concerts, programs and displays.

The Jazz Appreciation Month coalition gathers with Herbie Hancock to kick off JAM 2004. From left: Noel Berman, Trustee, Music Performance Fund; Michael Blakeslee, Deputy Director, MENC: The National Association for Music Education; John Stevenson, Director, English Language Division, Voice of America; Benjamin K. Roe, Director of Music, National Public Radio; Frances Preston, President/CEO, BMI; Jeffrey R. Davis, Vice President, Association of Public Television Stations; Tom Lee, President, American Federation of Musicians; Dr. John Edward Hasse, Curator of American Music, Smithsonian's National Museum of American History; Herbie Hancock; Nancy Davenport, Board member, American Library Association; Glenn DuBose, Senior Director, Performance & Arts, PBS; Sandra Gibson, President and CEO, Association of Performing Arts Presenters; Daniel Carlin, Chairman of the Board, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; Cynthia Minnick, U.S. Department of Defense; Bryan Mitchell, Chief of Heritage Preservation Services, National Park Service; Johann Zietsman, CEO, International Society for the Performing Arts; Bill McFarlin, Executive Director, International Association for Jazz Education; Carol Sue Fromboluti, U.S. Department of Education; Dr. Brent D. Glass, Director, Smithsonian's National Museum of American History; and Dr. Dwan Reece, Senior Program Officer, National Endowment for the Humanities. Not pictured: representatives from the Academy of American Poets, Chamber Music America, the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the U.S. Department of State.

"Few things are more all-American than jazz," said Brent D. Glass, director of the National Museum of American History. "As the nation's history museum we want to raise public awareness of jazz as one of America's cultural treasures and we hope that Jazz Appreciation Month will continue to nourish the growing appetite for jazz."

BMI's Robbin Ahrold; Tom Carter, President, Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz; Herbie Hancock; and BMI's Frances Preston

Hancock donated a keyboard, two synthesizers and a headphone microphone to the museum. The keyboard, a Fairlight CMI Series II, is the instrument on which Hancock composed his hit tune, "Rockit" (1983), a milestone in pop music. The Fairlight was significant as one of the first instruments to include sampling, a technique later used by pop musicians. Both synthesizers - one a 1983 MemoryMoog and the other a 1983 Yamaha KX-1 remote - were played during Hancock's live performances of "Rockit" in the 1980s. The Yamaha KX-1 is significant, as its design permitted performers to roam about the stage while playing. Also from his "Rockit" performances (and music video) is the Shure SM-10 headphone microphone, which was important not only because it allowed performers to hear the sound of their instruments over the crowd, but also for its use as a microphone for "vocoding," which, in conjunction with a vocoder, could synthesize the human voice to produce a robotic sound.

BMI's Frances Preston and Rep. John Conyers

"Hancock's instruments not only represent the career of one of our country's most prominent musical figures, but they help us to better understand the story of electric and electronic musical instruments and their place in American culture," said curator John Edward Hasse.

Herbie Hancock

Born in 1940, Hancock was a child prodigy pianist, having performed at the young age of 11 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. His love for jazz developed in high school, and his double major in music and electrical engineering at Grinnell College paved the way for a long, successful and innovative career. His 1963 debut album, Takin' Off, introduced his hit "Watermelon Man," which became a jazz staple through recordings by Hancock, Quincy Jones, Mongo Santamaria, and many others. That same year Hancock was invited to join the legendary Miles Davis Quintet, with which he achieved both group and personal success.

Hancock is acclaimed for his musical experimentation and innovation and has received multiple Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a 2004 Jazz Masters Award by the National Endowment for the Arts. He has crossed several musical genres, playing both acoustic and electronic music and performing and composing not only jazz, but R&B and pop as well.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Hancock recorded a significant number of critically acclaimed albums, including Fat Albert Rotunda (1970), composed for the Bill Cosby special "Fat Albert;" Head Hunters (1973), the first jazz album to ever go platinum; and the platinum album Future Shock (1980), which electrified the dance and R&B charts with the hit single "Rockit." Hancock has also had a successful career composing film and television music, which culminated in an Oscar win for the film score Round Midnight in 1986. His latest albums, Future2Future and Directions in Music, were released in 2001 and 2002 respectively.

Hancock's instruments will join the museum's collection of memorabilia from other jazz musicians, including Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton, Tito Puente, Artie Shaw and Duke Ellington. The Smithsonian operates the world's most comprehensive set of jazz programs including Jazz Appreciation Month. JAM, which coincides with the April birthdays of such jazz giants as Ellington, Fitzgerald, Tito Puente and Hancock, will be commemorated with numerous events.

The National Museum of American History traces American heritage through exhibitions of social, cultural, scientific and technological history. The museum, located at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue N.W. in Washington, DC, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., except December 25.]]> 2004-03-30T17:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/234014 Artists, Davis, Miles, Eubanks, Kevin, Hampton, Lionel, Jones, Norah, Monk, Thelonious, Parker, Charlie, Redman, Joshua, Musical Styles, Jazz Jazz Appreciation Month! Launched in 2002 by the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History, Jazz Appreciation Month (or JAM for short) is a month-long celebration spotlighting jazz through concerts, programs and museum collections. Schools, colleges, museums, concert halls, libraries and public broadcasters are encouraged to offer special programs of their own every April.

Click here for more on BMI and Jazz Music

JAM's mission is to draw greater public attention to the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz and its importance as an American cultural heritage. In addition, JAM is intended to stimulate the current jazz scene and encourage people of all ages to participate in jazz-to study the music, attend concerts, listen to jazz on radio and recordings, read books about jazz, and support institutional jazz programs.

As a long-time supporter of jazz music and jazz education programs, BMI is proud to be an anchor sponsor of Jazz Appreciation Month for the third consecutive year. Other partners and sponsors include the U.S. Department of Education, MENC: The National Association for Music Education, the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE), the Grammy Foundation, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Defense, PBS and the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation.

April was chosen for JAM to honor the birthdays of such jazz legends as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Tito Puente, Charles Mingus and Gerry Mulligan, and to give school ensembles time to develop and rehearse concerts that can be tied into the event. On August 18, 2003, President George W. Bush signed Public Law 108-72, which urges organizations to develop programs "to explore, perpetuate, and honor jazz as a national and world treasure." In addition, governors in several states have signed proclamations declaring April to be Jazz Appreciation Month; they include Governor Mike Easley of North Carolina, Governor Edward Rendell of Pennsylvania, Governor Jim Doyle of Wisconsin and Mayor Anthony Williams of the District of Columbia (to be announced April 2).

The Smithsonian operates the world's most comprehensive set of jazz programs-it collects jazz artifacts, documents, recordings, and oral histories; curates exhibitions and traveling exhibitions; operates its own big band, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra; publishes books and recordings on jazz; offers fellowships for research in its collections; and offers concerts, educational workshops, master classes, lectures, seminars, and symposia.

With a impressive roster of jazz legends that includes Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Lionel Hampton and Charles Mingus, as well as today's new jazz stars like Norah Jones, Kevin Eubanks, Joshua Redman, Mark Whitfield and Bobby Watson, BMI has supported jazz from the start and continues today with programs such as the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, the BMI Foundation/Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize, and the BMI/Thelonious Monk Institute Jazz Composers Competition.]]> 2004-03-29T17:00:01-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233165 Artists, Guy, Buddy, Hampton, Lionel, Parker, Charlie, Preston, Frances, Washington, Dinah, Musical Styles, Jazz, Pop, R&B Legendary vibraphonist, bandleader, and BMI jazz composer Lionel Hampton died of heart failure on Saturday, August 31 at New York’s Mount Sinai Medical Center. The 94-year-old "King of the Vibes" battled through several major illnesses including a cerebral hemorrhage in 1992 and two strokes in 1995 and was in failing health in recent years. 

In a career that spanned more than six decades, Hamp, as he was affectionately known, made hundreds of recordings and played with some of the greatest jazz figures in history including Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Count Basie and Buddy Guy. As a bandleader, he established the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, which served as a launching pad for the careers of such stars as Charles Mingus, Dinah Washington, Quincy Jones, Dexter Gordon and Joe Williams.

A BMI composer during his entire career, Hampton wrote more than 200 songs, including his signature "Flyin' Home," co-written with Goodman. The classic song earned a BMI Pop and a BMI R&B Award, as well as a Million-Air certificate, denoting more than one million radio and television performances. He also received six other BMI R&B Awards for songs such as "Beulah's Boogie" and "Biding my Time."

In 1997, an apartment fire destroyed practically everything Hampton owned including all his clothes and much of his bands' arrangements and other memorabilia two days before has was to receive the National Medal of Arts from President Clinton. President Clinton also hosted a 90th birthday party for Hampton at the White House in 1998, at which Hampton invited Clinton to join in on the saxophone. His band also performed at the White House for Presidents Truman, Johnson, Nixon, Carter, Reagan and Eisenhower, who appointed Hampton a goodwill ambassador for the United States. "He was an American music legend and will be sorely missed," said President George W. Bush, whose father, President George Bush Sr., appointed Hampton to the Board of Directors at Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

Lionel Hampton (seated center), whose valuables were lost in a 1997 apartment fire, happily accepts replacement certificates and photos from his friends at BMI. Pictured are (seated) Hampton's manager Bill Titone, Hampton, BMI President and CEO Frances Preston, (standing) Burt Korall, Director of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop and Jean Banks, BMI Senior Director of Jazz and Theatre. photo: Chuck Stewart

Hampton did not have a copy of his birth certificate but marked his birth date as April 20, 1908. He was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and raised by his grandmother in Birmingham, Alabama, and Chicago. He attended grade school at the Holy Rosary Academy near Kenosha, Wisconsin, where a Dominican nun give him his first drum lessons. It wasn't until a 1930 recording session with Armstrong that he began playing the vibraphones.

In his role as an educator, Hampton began working with the University of Idaho in the early 1980s to establish his dream for the future of music education. In 1987, the University named its School of Music after him. The Lionel Hampton School of Music is the only such school named after a jazz musician. He made his final public performance on February 23, 2002, at the school's annual Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, an event that features four days of concerts, clinics, and student competitions.

As a businessman, he established two record labels (Glad Hamp and Who's Who), his own publishing company, and founded the Lionel Hampton Development Corporation to build low-income housing in inner cities. One of his projects in Harlem in New York City is named after his wife, Gladys, who died in 1971 after a 35-year marriage. The couple had no children.

Seen here at the recent press conference at the Smithsonian announcing Jazz Appreciation Month are (l-r): Dr. John Hasse, Curator of American Music, National Museum of American History; Dr. David Baker, Chairman, Jazz Department, Indiana University and Musical & Artistic Director, Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra; and Dr. David Sanjek, Director, BMI Archives.

JAM's main focus is to draw attention to the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz by highlighting its joys, power and glories through concerts, programs and the exhibition of museum collections held at the Smithsonian. Ideas and suggestions on how local communities and other organizations can initiate their own educational and cultural activities spotlighting jazz will be made available on the Smithsonian's web site at SmithsonianJazz.org.

JAM will be celebrated in April for two reasons. April maximizes the educational potential since it is the last month that colleges and universities as well as many high schools are in session. April is also the birth month of many major jazz artists including BMI legends such as Billie Holiday, Charles Mingus, Herbie Hancock and Lionel Hampton.

By Rob Patterson

From the dawning days of rhythm & blues through today's multifaceted urban music scene, BMI has been at the forefront of music from the African American tradition, styles and community. A continuity of teamwork between BMI and Black music-makers extends from Aretha Franklin to Janet Jackson, from Motown hitmakers Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier & Brian Holland to R. Kelly, and from Miles Davis to Terence Blanchard.

B.B. King

Busta Rhymes

Janet Jackson

Eminem

When r&b, in its formative years, was the province of budding independent labels, small publishers, and adventurous radio stations, BMI opened its ranks to the musical movement when the existing performing rights organization failed to recognize the legitimacy and potential brewing in Black American music. The considerable fact that 90 percent of the R&B Foundation's Pioneer Awards have been bestowed on BMI artists attests to BMI's historical commitment to Black music.

Eric Benet

Macy Gray

Mariah Carey

Michael Jackson

The BMI Black music rosters reads like a musical honor role: Jazz giants such as Billie Holiday, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Dinah Washington and John Coltrane; blues icons like Leadbelly, Muddy Waters, B.B. King and T-Bone Walker; r&b pacesetters such as Ray Charles, Fats Domino and James Brown; soul sisters Etta James, Irma Thomas and Diana Ross; rock pioneers like Chuck Berry and Little Richard.

Mya

R. Kelly

Snoop Dogg

Toni Braxton

The BMI bloodlines can be traced from then to now, from Carla Thomas to Donna Summer to Vanessa Williams, from Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff to LA Reid and Babyface, from Otis Redding to Michael Jackson. And if you check this space 20 or 30 years from now, the odds say its likely that BMI's contemporary urban music artists will be just as legendary and influential as those BMI has represented throughout the history of Black popular music in America.

In a sense, the pages have already been written by today's BMI star talents. Mariah Carey has proven herself a formidable and enduring presence in popular music, while Macy Gray is arising to help bring soul back to its rightful place of presence in urban music. Kevin Eubanks delivers sublime new variations of the jazz guitar heritage to millions on The Tonight Show, and Joshua Redman redefines the notion of young jazz giant for a new millennium. Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Lil' Kim continue to push the hip-hop envelope, while Kirk Franklin and Winans Phase 2 keep the gospel spirit alive.

But it's not just the marquee names that make these exciting times for BMI's urban music roster. And even some of BMI's team whose work happens primarily behind the scenes are earning public note on the level of the artists they work with. Producer, songwriter, keyboardist and remixer Dallas Austin launched Monica and TLC, and counts Michael Jackson, Madonna, Boyz II Men and Aretha Franklin among his credits. Such musical versatility and vision continues with such recording and writing powerhouses as Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis, Master P, Tim & Bob, SoulShock & Karlin, Jean Claude 'Poke' Olivier of The Track Masters, Organized Noise, Teddy Bishop and Cory Rooney - all drawing from a differing wealth of musical wells and creating new and innovative musical moments.

Hip-hop remains a powerfully progressive and sometimes provocative movement in modern popular music. Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes and Goodie Mob keep it real, and the beats and themes will surely remain hard in the hands of such acts as Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz, Ja Rule, Mos Def, Trick Daddy, Silkk the Shocker, JT Money, Kurupt and J-Shin. At the same time, acts like The Roots, Black Eyed Peas, Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek and Spooks infuse a rich mixture of styles into the hip-hop genre. Once the sound of the street, just as r&b had been, hip-hop is now an integral part of contemporary culture. And its Caribbean cousin dancehall is also claiming the attention of the public ear thanks to Buju Banton.

R&B has always boasted its powerful cadre of female singers. And just as Carla Thomas, Martha Reeves and Jodi Whatley established their voices as trademarks, so have the women like Brandy, Toni Braxton and Faith Evans. Rising to join them are such soul sisters as Angie Stone, Mya, Sunshine Anderson and Aaliyah, while R&B brothers such as Eric Benet and Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes stir up new soul traditions for today's urban music fans as Clyde McPhatter, Sam Moore and Aaron Neville have before them. The girl group traditions forged by The Shirelles and The Supremes find modern expression in the "new jill flava" of Total.

As the recent Ken Burns documentary demonstrated, jazz is one of the richest skeins in the American cultural tapestry. BMI has been a consistent presence in jazz, from Lionel Hampton to Coleman Hawkins to Herbie Hancock to Roy Hargrove. Today, Terence Blanchard, Christian McBride, Kevin Eubanks and Bilal maintain the instrumental and compositional greatness of jazz music for the genre's future.

Spirituals have always been an essential element in Black music and BMI's mission, thanks to everyone from James Ingram to The Fairfield Four. And perhaps nobody has had a more profound impact on contemporary music and the popularity of spiritual sounds than minister, songwriter, producer and visionary Kirk Franklin. In the past, one could make similar claims for The Winans, and the family tradition forged there is carried on by Winans Phase 2. The ears reached by these artists are now opening as well to such rising talents as Yolanda Adams and Trin-i-tee 5:7.

Such diversity, commercial impact, innovation and encouragement of burgeoning styles and new artists has been a hallmark of BMI's commitment to Black music from the time that "race music" became rhythm & blues, and on through soul, funk and disco right up to rap and new jack swing. As BMI salutes tradition through its longtime support of the R&B Foundation, it also helps create the future that is urban music in all its breadth and creativity. Because at BMI, Black Music Month is celebrated 12 months a year.

Lionel Hampton Donation Ceremony
Tuesday, January 30, 2001

In recognition of the importance of jazz in American history and culture, the Smithsonian Institution operates the world's most comprehensive set of jazz programs. We do eighteen different kinds of things in jazz-more than any other institution in the world.

This set of programs is unprecedented and unique in the world.

And so is our guest of honor, Lionel Hampton.

Lionel Hampton is one of the giants of jazz and a great American.

He was born April 20, 1908, in Birmingham, Alabama, and raised in Kenosha) Wisconsin, and Chicago. An early influence was the records of Louis Armstrong.

In Chicago, Dr. Hampton began on drums and marimba. In 1928 he moved to Los Angeles and joined Les Hite's band, which backed Louis Armstrong at Los Angeles's Cotton Club. Dr. Hampton took up the vibraphone and, much as Coleman Hawkins did with the tenor saxophone, almost single-handedly transformed it from a novelty instrument ... into a first-class jazz instrument. He made the vibes completely his own, developing his own style and setting the benchmark for everyone who would come later.

Dr. Hampton formed his own group, and after Benny Goodman happened upon the combo, he began recording and performing with Goodman's small ensembles and helping to break down the color barrier in jazz. They made dozens of recordings between 1936 and 1940--some of the greatest of all swing recordings, such as Moonglow, Opus 1/2, and Gone with What Wind?. He also organized 23 recording sessions and made 90 recordings with virtually every top soloist of the swing era. Together these recordings rank among the best of the entire Swing Era.

Buoyed by his tremendous success with Goodman, in 1940 Dr. Hampton established his own big band--Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra. In the 1940s, they had huge success with Flying Home, Hamp's Boogie Woogie, Stardust, and others. His band became known for its tremendous energy, exciting rhythms, and dazzling showmanship that created fervent audience excitement.

His band became a sort of university, and it graduated such talents as Illinois Jacquet, Cat Anderson, Dexter Gordon, Art Farmer, Clifford Brown, Fats Navarro, Clark Terry, Quincy Jones, Charles Mingus, Wes Montgomery, and singers Joe Williams, Dinah Washington, Betty Carter, and Aretha Franklin.

He is also a composer of more than 200 works, including the jazz standards Flying Home, Evil Gal Blues, and Midnight Sun.

He appeared in a number of motion pictures, including A Song Is Born in 1948 and The Benny Goodman Story in 1955 and No Maps on My Taps in 1979.

In the the1950s, President Eisenhower asked him to serve as a goodwill ambassador for the United States, and Dr. Hampton's band made many tours to Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Far East, generating a huge international following.

He established two record labels, Glad-Hamp Records, with his wife Gladys, and Who's Who in Jazz, as well as his own publishing company. He founded the Lionel Hampton Development Corporation to build low income housing in the inner city.

In 1985, the University of Idaho named its jazz festival for him; and in 1987 the university's music school was named the Lionel Hampton School of Music. The University has also established a Lionel Hampton Institute to help preserve the jazz heritage.

In 1991 President Bush appointed him to the Board of the Kennedy Center. Dr. Hampton received the Kennedy Center Honor in 1992, and in 1996 President Clinton awarded him the National Medal of the Arts.

In 1998, he and Lloyd Rucker founded the Lionel and Gladys Hampton Jazz History Education Foundation to go into middle schools and high schools to teach young people about jazz.

He has been awarded seventeen honorary doctorates here and abroad, as well as the Gold Medal of Paris and the Papal Medal.

A few years ago, he was hit with a stroke. But nothing can diminish the spirit of Lionel Hampton. He continues to tour with his big band, and was on hand last year, when a huge portrait of him was unveiled at our sister Smithsonian museum, the National Portrait Gallery.

His career ranks as one of the outstanding achievements in jazz. He had the vision to foresee the possibilities no one else had seen in the vibraphone. He had the taste, musicianship, and inventiveness to fulfill those possibilities. (No wonder he's been called "the Vibes President of the United States.") He had the charm and showmanship to win over tens of millions of people around the world. And the leadership and discipline to mentor practically half of a who's-who of jazz. And nobody, nobody can swing better or harder than Lionel Hampton. He's the personification of swing.