2019 live release. The band is comprised mainly of musicians who played with Lionel Hampton himself. The Lionel Hampton Estate, eager to have the Big Band reactivate, granted permission in March of 2015 to launch the Lionel Hampton Big Band featuring Jason Marsalis, with Christian Fabian, Cleave Guyton Jr and Lance Bryant as co-leaders. Jason Marsalis is from the Marsalis Jazz family (Ellis, Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo). All the band leaders played with Lionel Hampton: Lance was the Lionel Hampton Orchestra musical director and principal arranger, Cleave was the last musical director of the band, and Christian remains the bass chair of the last big band led by Lionel Hampton.
2019 live release. The band is comprised mainly of musicians who played with Lionel Hampton himself. The Lionel Hampton Estate, eager to have the Big Band reactivate, granted permission in March of 2015 to launch the Lionel Hampton Big Band featuring Jason Marsalis, with Christian Fabian, Cleave Guyton Jr and Lance Bryant as co-leaders. Jason Marsalis is from the Marsalis Jazz family (Ellis, Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo). All the band leaders played with Lionel Hampton: Lance was the Lionel Hampton Orchestra musical director and principal arranger, Cleave was the last musical director of the band, and Christian remains the bass chair of the last big band led by Lionel Hampton.
