The Annenberg Center Presents The New Lionel Hampton Big Band

After a 15-year hiatus, the Lionel Hampton Big Band is back on stage with energetic jazz, swing and bebop, presented by the Annenberg Center on Saturday, March 23 at 8 PM.

Comprised of musicians who played with renowned bandleader/musician Lionel Hampton himself, the New Lionel Hampton Big Band promises a night of swinging jazz from Hampton's repertoire, including favorites by Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Foster, and Quincy Jones, plus the world premiere of a piece by the group's sax player and co-leader, Lance Bryant. In March 2015, the Lionel Hampton Estate granted permission to launch the New Lionel Hampton Big Band featuring Jason Marsalis, with Christian Fabian, Cleave Guyton Jr and Lance Bryant as co-leaders. All the band leaders played with Lionel Hampton: Bryant was the Lionel Hampton Orchestra Musical Director and Principal Arranger, Guyton Jr was the last Musical Director of the band, and Fabian remains the Bass Chair of the last Big Band led by Lionel Hampton. Joseph Doubleday replaces Jason Marsalis on vibraphone for the Annenberg Center performance. Doubleday's love for jazz was sparked by a recording by Lionel Hampton, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich. The New Lionel Hampton Band has played to capacity audiences at Blue Note NY, Yoshi's (Oakland), Cutting Room (NY), SOPAC (NJ), and Berklee College of Music Performance Center (Boston), among others.

Visit AnnenbergCenter.org for ticket information.

The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts serves as a major cultural destination and crossroads connecting Penn and the greater Philadelphia region through innovative human expression in theatre, music, dance, and film, serving an annual audience of almost 50,000. The Annenberg Center also serves as a key resource for the arts at Penn, connecting master artists with Penn students in support of and as an enhancement to the arts curriculum. Student performing arts groups are also key users of the Annenberg Center's multiple performance and rehearsal spaces, while also staffing many operational roles throughout the academic year. In reflection of Penn's core values as a world-respected academic institution, the Annenberg Center emphasizes artistic and intellectual excellence, diversity, and rigor in its presentations; prioritizes broad inclusiveness in the artists, audiences, and groups it serves; manages outstanding performance, conference, and meeting facilities; and stresses comprehensive event planning, production support, and customer service. The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is a major provider of performing arts access for school children and actively engages a broad range of primary, secondary, and post-secondary student audiences and inclusive constituencies from the campus, community, and greater Philadelphia region. Visit www.AnnenbergCenter.org.