Hi a new review for last Fantastic Lionel's CD on air on
RADIOVINILEMANIA in Italy!!!

http://www.vinilemania.net/vLIONELHAMPTON.htm

Ciao ciao P

courtesy: http://www.allaboutjazz.com

There Will Never Be Another You Featuring Sylvia Bennett
Lionel Hampton | Out of Sight Music (2006)
By Michael P. Gladstone

How many living female singers can say that they sang with the
Lionel Hampton Big Band? Sylvia Bennett auditioned for Hampton in
the early 1980s and was immediately signed as the band's singer. She
then toured Florida and performed with the Hampton Orchestra at the
second Reagan inaugural as well as the same event for George Bush.
Hampton recorded Sentimental Journey in 1985 with Bennett as
vocalist, which was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1987. A second
album, There Will Never Be Another You, was recorded two years
later. It was never released and continued to languish in the vaults
until Sylvia Bennett decided to bring it to the music industry's
attention.

So, in effect, this album represents one of the last efforts of the
famous vibraphonist. It was recorded in Florida under unusual
circumstances. Inasmuch as Hampton was most comfortable at home, the
actual recording process was accomplished in his large kitchen,
where he and Bennett supplied the finishing touches to the album.
Most of the big band backing was recorded in a studio. Bennett and
Hampton, listening on headphones, provided the music directly from
the kitchen. In place of his traditional vibraphone, Hampton used a
vibraphone synthesizer and utilized his signature two-finger
keyboard style.


The album itself consists of fourteen tracks which alternate between
instrumentals and vocal tracks with Sylvia Bennett. The songs are
largely familiar titles like "Just One of Those Things," "Bill
Bailey" and "It Might As Well Be Spring," with the addition of some
swing-type titles for the instrumentals like "Cookin' in the
Kitchen" (aka "Jumpin' at the Mudhole") and "Beulah's Boogie."
Bennett's voice is admirable, with a clear and bright tone and good
enunciation of the lyrics, but in this setting she remains a big
band singer without any real jazz overtones, leaning more toward
cabaret or pop. The final two tracks are separate versions of "You
Make My Heart Sing"; the closing selection is a disco remix. In
1989, this surely was an invitation intended to open some new doors
for the Hampton Orchestra.


There is a 28-minute DVD accompaning the CD which purports to
show "the making of the album," with camera work catching
Hampton/Bennett planning, preparing and performing to record. There
was obviously a great chemistry between the vibist and vocalist and,
considering that Hampton is now gone, there's a quasi-treasure chest
of memories in some of this footage. Spliced in are stills and
footage of Hampton leading an orchestra from earlier occasions.

One interesting sidebar from the DVD involves the footage of
arranger Hal Batt, who evidently was borrowed from other musical
genres to beef up the finished product. He was unfamiliar with the
jazz standard "Red Top," which Hampton performed as one of the
instrumentals. Batt's decision was to leave the selection as it was
recorded. Thank goodness!!



Track listing: Just One Of Those Things; There Will Never Be Another
You; Cookin' In The Kitchen; Sweet Man Of Mine; Beulah's Boogie;
Bill Bailey; It Might As Well Be Spring; Together; Red Top; Please
Love Me; Someday; You Make My Heart Sing; You Make My Heart Sing
(remix).

Personnel: Lionel Hampton: vibraphone, synthesizer; Sylvia Bennett:
vocals; Hall S. Batt: keyboards, guitar, bass; Bobby Pancoast:
keyboards; Hal Bonsanti, Billy Ross, Chip McNeil, Jeff King:
saxophones; Whit Sidener: baritone sax; Jim Hacker, Brett Murphy,
Tony Luschen, John Georgini: trumpets; Phil Gray, John Darling, Dana
Teboe, Greg Cox: trombones; Sammy Figueroa: percussion; Dave Hardman
or Gotz Kujack: drums.