In 1953, bandleader, drummer and vibraphonist Lionel Hampton toured Europe with an all-star band filled with future jazz greats: Clifford Brown, Art Farmer, Monk Montgomery, Gigi Gryce, George Wallington, Clifford Scott, Annie Ross and a 20-year old trumpeter and arranger named Quincy Jones. The three month tour was historic in many ways: it introduced European audences (in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Begium, Germany and even Morocco) to the new directions of American jazz and the beginnings of rock n’ roll with shows that were packed with energy and post-bebop intensity. It introduced the musicians to social freedoms and public adulation far from the racist realities of America in that day, it also gave them recording opportunities outside of Hampton’s band which made this one of the most chronicled jazz tours of all time. Of course it made a lifelong impression on the young, up-and-coming producer who returned to Europe many times in future years, including this year at North Sea Jazz! We’ll look at photos and listen to some of the exciting music that came out of that historic 1953 tour, and hear stories told by Quincy as only he can tell them!
