Live at Rossmoor - Lionel Hampton Big Band

Live at Rossmoor by the Lionel Hampton Big Band featuring Jason Marsalis is a triumphant manifesto for big-band swing in the twenty-first century. Recorded live on June 21, 2019, at the Rossmoor Jazz Festival in Walnut Creek, California, it captures an ensemble of veteran Hampton sidemen and the prodigious youngest Marsalis brother igniting classic Hampton charts with fresh fire. From the opening brass salvo to the rousing finale, this album delivers unrelenting vitality, razor-sharp ensemble work, and moments of pure, unbridled joy proof that swing’s emotional power transcends generations.

A Legacy Reborn

In 2015, the Lionel Hampton estate approved a revival that had every chance of faltering under the weight of expectation. The project’s core lineup was forged from musicians who’d shared stages with Hampton himself in the 1940s and ’50s artists steeped in his signature blend of showmanship, humor, and swing. Into that circle stepped Jason Marsalis, the youngest scion of New Orleans’s most storied jazz family, already acclaimed for his drumming chops and vibraphone artistry. Tasked with filling Hampton’s colossal shoes, Marsalis brought both reverence and innovation, threading his own modern sensibility through Hampton’s lyric-driven arrangements.

The band’s debut at Rossmoor felt like more than a concert; it was a homecoming. Between numbers, you hear the playful banter Hampton popularized, introducing each player with affectionate ribbing, sharing backstage anecdotes, and inviting the audience into the creative fold. Those interludes aren’t mere stage patter; they’re living threads connecting us to Hampton’s golden era. When the first notes of the opener explode, it becomes clear that this is no museum-piece revival but a breathing, high-voltage continuation of a tradition.

The Live Experience

What sets Live at Rossmoor apart is its living pulse. The brass section snaps with the precision of a championship drill team, yet the execution never feels mechanical. Saxophones weave in rich harmonies, trombones moan with vintage warmth, and trumpets gleam like cut crystal. Underpinning it all is a rhythm section so locked in you feel the groove reverberate in your chest.

Jason Marsalis emerges not simply as a featured soloist but as the ensemble’s heartbeat. His mallet work on vibraphone dances across the tune with crystalline clarity; each note rings like a joy-infused bell. On uptempo swings, his lines blaze with bebop-inspired inventiveness, yet never stray from the emotional core. On ballads, his tone softens into a warm caress, sustaining notes that hover in the air like moonlight. Equally compelling is his drumming: playful call-and-response bouts with his own vibes lines, and grooves so tasteful they propel the band with effortless swing. Far from imitating Hampton, Marsalis stakes his own musical claim, showing that the vibraphone remains fertile ground for jazz exploration.

Behind him, the ensemble moves as one breathing organism. When the full band hits a unison riff, it lands with the force of a coiled spring releasing; when a soloist takes flight, the rest of the group audibly steps back to let the magic unfold. That dynamic interplay, this tension and release is the beating heart of the performance. Rather than a series of discrete tunes, the twelve-track set feels like a single narrative arc. High-octane swingers give way to blues-laced meditations, which drift into Latin-inflected grooves before pausing for intimate balladry. Listeners ride a wave of emotion, never feeling jolted by jarring tempo shifts or formulaic programming.

Production That Pops

Live big-band recordings can be treacherous territory, too much studio gloss kills spontaneity; too little, and the sound descends into chaos. Producer Lance Bryant, who doubles as the group’s tenor saxophonist, hit the perfect sweet spot. The horns are immediate and present without harshness, the drums snap with clarity, and the vibes shimmer without becoming sibilant. Ambient applause and laughter are captured with judicious restraint, anchoring the listener in the live setting without muddying the mix. The result is an intimate yet expansive soundscape that makes you feel perched at the foot of the stage, sharing every heartbeat of the performance.

Critical & Fan Acclaim

From jazz periodicals to online communities, Live at Rossmoor has struck an almost universal chord. Critics have hailed it as “an electrifying continuation of Hampton’s spirit” and praised Marsalis as “the ideal torchbearer, bridging past and present with effortless style.” Swing-focused blogs have called it “the best live big-band recording in years,” while listeners on social media marvel at how it “makes your living room feel like a 1940s dance hall.”

Radio programmers responded in kind, adding the album to heavy-rotation playlists and propelling it into the Top Ten on national jazz charts for consecutive weeks. At sold-out residencies, from Birdland in New York to standout West Coast venues, fans snapped up physical copies, eager to hold a slice of this swinging resurgence. Veteran Hampton aficionados have praised the respectful yet forward-looking approach, while newcomers report being hooked on the first brass hits.

Why It Matters & Catch Them Live

In a time when jazz often fragments into niche subgenres, Live at Rossmoor reminds us of the communal power of large-ensemble swing. There’s an elemental thrill in hearing ten horn voices coalesce into a single mighty force, beneath which a rhythm section pulses like a living heartbeat. No small combo or electronic hybrid can replicate that scale or sense of shared energy.

For those moved by the album, there’s an unmissable opportunity to experience the band in person: on July 8, 2025, the Lionel Hampton Big Band featuring Jason Marsalis takes the stage at the HNITA Jazz Club in Heist-op-den-Berg, Belgium https://www.hnitajazzclub.be/events/lionel-hampton-big-band-feat-jason-marsalis/. Picture a packed room humming with anticipation, the lights dimming as the first brass chord cuts through the hush, and the ensemble unleashing its full swing arsenal. It’s that live spark, the same spark preserved on Live at Rossmoor, that transforms notes on a recording into an unforgettable, communal thrill.

Live at Rossmoor is more than a live album; it’s a declaration that great swing endures. Through impeccable musicianship, heartfelt solos, and genuine on-stage camaraderie, the Lionel Hampton Big Band featuring Jason Marsalis revives a treasured legacy for today’s audiences. Whether you’re a devoted jazz aficionado or simply someone in search of music that moves both feet and heart, this recording, and the live performance it heralds, offers an unmissable journey. Queue up the first brass blasts, let the rhythm section carry you away, and prepare for a whirlwind ride into big-band swing’s vibrant world. Then, when July 8 arrives, make your way to Heist-op-den-Berg and witness the magic live, you’ll leave with a smile on your face, fire in your chest, and the joyous spirit of Lionel Hampton echoing in your soul.

This Album review is created by Peter Antheunis.

Sources: Enthusiastic write-ups and charts (All About Jazz/JazzWeek), event coverage, and festival programsuidaho.edujazznoise.hu confirm that Live at Rossmoor has earned rave reviews for its swinging performances and fun storytelling. (Upcoming event info is from the HNITA Jazz Club announcement.)