Slide Hampton was a Grammy Award-winning jazz trombonist and NEA Jazz Master.
- Died: November 18, 2021 (Who else died on November 18?)
- Details of death: Died at his home in Orange, New Jersey at the age of 89.
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Musical career
Born Locksley Wellington Hampton, he earned his nickname young after beginning to play trombone as a child. He learned on a left-handed trombone even though he was right-handed; he played the unusual instrument all his life. After playing in his family’s Duke HamptonBand, Hampton began playing with jazz greats early in his career, including stints with Maynard Ferguson, Art Blakey, and Max Roach. He also led his own band, the Slide Hampton Octet. Also known as a gifted arranger, Hampton won Grammy Awards for both arrangements and performance. He spent time working as a musical director for Motown Records, appeared on an episode of “The Cosby Show,” and taught at universities including Harvard and the University of Massachusetts. In 2005, Hampton was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment of the Arts, the highest honor in jazz.
Notable quote
“When you’re playing the trombone well, you’ve worked on it. You’ve developed a respect for that instrument. And it makes you develop a respect for music in general, because you don’t get music out of a trombone just by blowing air into it.” —from a 1994 interview with Bob Bernotas
Tributes to Slide Hampton
Full obituary: WBGO
