Remembering Slide Hampton

In 2021, the jazz trombone world, thus far, has lost two pillars of the instrument. With the passing of Curtis Fuller in May and now Slide Hampton in November, this year will lay heavy on many of us (in addition to all that has occurred through the Pandemic).

Like many young, innocent trombonists, when I first heard of Locksley Wellington “Slide” Hampton, I instantly looked him up in ITA Journals or online. I remember thinking the photo editor must have flipped the image because no trombonist would move the slide with his left hand. For Slide Hampton, it was how he learned to play the instrument which created one of the most fluid sounds heard from the sliding instrument.

Rather than writing an article on his legacy, I have collected several articles and obituaries from well-known musicians, critics, and journalists describing and reflecting on the life of someone who was a master of Jazz and the trombone. Some links may be paywalled while others are free to read. A memorial service is tentatively planned for April 2022.

November 22, 2021 – Slide Hampton, trombonist who also made a lasting impression as a master arranger, is dead at 89 (WBGO)

November 22, 2021 – NEA Jazz Master trombonist Slide Hampton has died (KNKX)

November 23, 2021 – Jeannette native Slide Hampton, eminent jazz trombonist, composer and arranger, dies at 89 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

November 23, 2021 – Slide Hampton 1932 – 2021 (JazzTimes)

November 23, 2021 – Slide Hampton (1932–2021), jazz trombonist (Legacy.com)

November 23, 2021 – In Memoriam: Slide Hampton, 1932–2021 (Downbeat)

November 23, 2021 – Slide Hampton, eminent jazz trombonist, composer and arranger, dies at 89 (Washington Post)

November 24, 2021 – Slide Hampton, Trombonist, Composer and Arranger, Dies at 89 (New York Times)

November 29, 2021 – OBITUARY: SLIDE HAMPTON (21/04/1932 – 18/11/2021) (Jazzwise)