For nearly six decades, the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival has been bringing jazz masters together with elementary, middle-school, high-school, and college students at the University of Idaho in Moscow. The festival celebrates a true American art form and pays tribute to one of its most celebrated artists, Lionel Hampton.
The first Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival took place in 1967 with a dozen student groups and one guest artist. The festival erupted onto the national stage in 1981, when jazz fans packed a university gym to hear Ella Fitzgerald.
Now in its 58th year, the festival will be held at the Idaho Central Credit Union (ICCU) Arena from April 15 to April 18. The concerts will feature incredible artists such as Take 6, the Jeff Hamilton Trio, Christian Jensen, Jamie Baum, Indian classical violinist Arun Ramamurthy, and the one and only Lionel Hampton Big Band with Jason Marsalis. In addition to the concerts, the festival will offer all-day workshops led by guest clinicians, adjudicators and featured artists.
The opening-night kick-off concert, “Hamp’s Gala,” will take place on Tuesday, April 15, featuring the Lionel Hampton School of Music student ensembles in the university’s Administration Auditorium.
The Wednesday-evening concert, “World Music Celebration,” will showcase various artists in the ICCU Arena. The lineup includes Christine Jensen, Arun Ramamurthy. The UI Jazz Band I directed by Vern Sielert, the UI Jazz Choir I directed by Dan Bukvich, and the World Beat Ensemble directed by Navin Chettri.
On Thursday, Take 6 will headline, and other performers include Jamie Baum, the UI Chamber Jazz Choir, the UI Jazz Band, the Palouse Jazz Project and Hamp’s Jazz Ambassadors.
On Friday, April 18, a special concert will feature the Jeff Hamilton Trio along with the Lionel Hampton Big Band featuring Jason Marsalis, plus Hamp’s Jazz Ambassadors.
For details, visit uidaho.edu/jazzfest. To purchase tickets, visit uitickets.com or call (208) 885-4636 for ticket information.