More than 4,000 people attended the 2018 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, according to the University of Idaho website. In that time, 145 schools brought their students to learn about the art of jazz, as well as Hampton himself, one of the genre’s most notable figures.
Lynn “Doc” Skinner returned to the University of Idaho Feb. 23 to share his memories of Hampton, a longtime friend.
Skinner served as the executive director of the festival for 31 years before retiring in 2006, and was largely responsible for expanding the Jazz Festival from a one-day event to the four-day celebration, thanks in part to Hampton’s contributions.
Skinner focused his presentation on the man he described as a father figure.
“Lionel Hampton was truly more like a brother or a father to me,” he said.
Skinner recalled many memories with Hampton, who he often referred to as “Hamp.”
He emotionally recounted exactly how the Jazz Festival took on Hampton’s name. Shortly after a performance in 1984, his first at UI, Hampton removed a piece of paper from his pocket. Skinner said he believed Hampton may have been taking down a note of the performance and didn’t think twice about it until he saw what Hampton had scribbled down.
“It was a check for $15,000,” Skinner said. “That really got me. He certainly didn’t have to do that.”
Skinner said Hampton wanted to start an endowment fund for the festival. He said after that experience, he began looking up festivals named after jazz artists. He said what he found astonished him. Naming the Jazz Festival after Hampton would be a culturally ground-breaking move.
“There had never been a festival any place in the world that was named after a jazz artist, or an African American,” Skinner said.
Skinner said after making this discovery, he asked Richard Gibb, UI’s president at the time, for permission to rename the festival in Hampton’s honor, which Gibb promptly agreed to.
Skinner bounced from memory to memory, recounting just how talented Hampton was at his craft. Hampton was a renowned vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist and bandleader.
“He became the music until the music stopped,” Skinner said.
After his inaugural 1984 performance, Hampton annually returned to Moscow until 2002, according to the UI Library. The UI School of Music also took on Hampton’s name, becoming the first of its kind named after a jazz musician.
Hampton’s final Jazz Festival performance on Feb. 23, 2002 would be his last public appearance, as the musician died in August of the same year.
Andrew Brand | Argonaut
Dancers and musicians perform at the 2018 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival from Feb 22. to Feb. 24.
Skinner said he knows his friend is still around, doing what he was always best at: playing jazz.
“Hamp was born in 1908, so he is 110 years old now,” Skinner said. “And you know what? He’s still playing some place. He’s still playing his vibes.”
Skinner, who lost his wife last year, also mentioned how much Hampton loved his former spouse.
“Hamp really loved my wife, she was one of his favorite people,” Skinner said. “So, she’s up there with him now, trying to help him out.”
Mariah Nickerson, a high school junior from La Grande, Oregon, said although she isn’t the biggest jazz fan, she came away with a new appreciation for the music and the history behind the festival.
“I haven’t really grown up knowing jazz, so coming to the Lionel Hampton Festival is pretty much the first big event I’ve gotten the pleasure of being around,” Nickerson said. “It is so cool and interesting to hear the history from the man who founded it.”
Andrew Ward can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @WardOfTheWorlds