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Slide Hampton was born Locksley Wellington Hampton on April 21, 1932 in Jeannette, Pennsylvania, one of twelve children born to Laura and Clarke Hampton, who taught them to play instruments. One of the few left-handed trombonists, not naturally having received a left-handed trombone from his father, by age twelve the Hamptons were living in Indianapolis and Slide was playing in the Duke Hampton Band, led by his father.

Just eight years later Slide was on stage at Carnegie Hall playing with Lionel Hampton in 1952. Throughout the 1950s Slide played with Buddy Johnson, played and arranged for Maynard Ferguson, and recorded with master trombonist Melba Liston. As his reputation grew he began working with Art Blakey, Tadd Dameron, Barry Harris, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, and Max Roach, contributing both original compositions and arrangements. In the early Sixties he formed an octet with Freddie Hubbard, Booker Little and George Coleman that toured and recorded throughout the U.S. and Europe.

Over the course of fifty plus years Hampton has played with Woody Herman, lived in Europe for ten years, taught at Harvard, University of Massachusetts, DePaul University and Indiana State. He has led a nine trombone 3 rhythm band – World Of Trombones, co-led a quintet with Jimmy Heath called Continuum and freelanced as a writer and player.

This gifted jazz musician has been inducted into the Indianapolis Jazz Hall of Fame, is a two-time Grammy winner, and was honored in 2005 with the NEA Jazz Masters Award.  Trombonist, bandleader, educator, master composer, arranger Slide Hampton, who  is among the most distinguished assembly of careers in music, passed away on November 18, 2021 in Orange, New Jersey.

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