Jazz arranging · Hard Bop, Modal & Post-Bop
SlideHampton
b. 1932 arranger · composer · orchestrator
Hampton's arranging style features sophisticated harmonies rooted in bebop tradition combined with excellent brass writing and…
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- Predominant era
- Hard Bop, Modal & Post-Bop
- Lifespan
- b. 1932
- Signature
- expansive register
Bio · 15 words
Locksley Wellington "Slide" Hampton was born in Jeannette, Pennsylvania, into the Hampton family jazz dynasty.
01
Musical style
Sound DNA
Five shared dimensions make the arranger’s musical priorities visible at a glance.
Iridescent
Instrumental color leads the design.
Balanced
Space and activity stay in balance.
Expansive
Wide spans define the orchestral frame.
Layered
Several musical planes coexist.
Suspended
Motion unfolds with patience.
02
Orchestration
At the
arranging desk
“Small Hours,” orchestrated in the style of Slide Hampton. Hear the parts, follow the score, and examine the decisions inside each chord.
Original miniature
Small Hours
8 bars · C major · 4/4 Swing eighths · 2:1
A trombone-centered choir alternates compact harmony, separate lines and octave reinforcement. This eight-bar setting uses quarter-note walking bass beneath trombone.
Choose Play to hear the recorded ensemble.
The passage
Read what you hear
All parts at sounding pitch · middle C = C4 · eighth notes follow the selected feel. Select a bar to inspect or replay it.
Inside the ensemble
Listen by part
Combine Solo buttons to hear a voicing or a doubling. Mute removes a part from the mix.
Downloads include every part at concert pitch. MIDI includes the selected tempo and swing feel.
Bar 01 · I · tonic
Cmaj9
Solo the trombones together and compare their close moving chords with the later open octave sound.
Sounding pitches
High to low · muted parts are dimmed · note releases can leave a rest between attacks.
| Part | Pitch | Chord role |
|---|
From the arranging bookshelf Sebesky · Nestico
This original Slide Hampton study applies the books’ approach of examining voicings, registers and instrumental combinations. It illustrates one facet of the artist’s work in a reduced ensemble; it is not a transcription or a reproduction of a book example. The melody and eight-bar progression remain the same throughout the artist collection.
- Don Sebesky, The Contemporary Arranger: “Combining the Woodwinds,” printed pp. 69–70 (PDF pp. 78–79), compares balance at different registers. “Voicing the Strings,” beginning on printed p. 124 (PDF p. 133), discusses distributing string voices. “Combining Strings with Winds,” printed p. 155 (PDF p. 164), demonstrates how a flute changes the color and balance of a string line.
- Sammy Nestico, The Complete Arranger: “Close [Block] Voicing” and “Semi-Open Voicing,” printed p. 24 (PDF p. 26), contrast a compact moving saxophone block with a voice dropped an octave. The part scores and pitch inspector let you examine the spacing used in this artist’s study.
Each artist’s arrangement uses separately recorded parts, so Solo and Mute reveal the same performance heard in the full ensemble. Winds, piano and supported orchestral instruments use MuseSounds; upright bass uses Karoryfer recordings. Other colors retain the credited libraries below. Tempo changes preserve concert pitch.
Performances rendered with free MuseSounds and the libraries below. Recording credits and instrument coverage.
Recordings: VSCO 2 CE (CC0), MTG Solo Saxophones (CC BY 4.0), and Karoryfer Meatbass (CC0). Additional sounds: FluidR3 GM (CC BY 3.0). Full credits and sample changes.
03
Music first
Scores & orchestras
Switch recordings to compare how this arranger’s musical priorities shape each orchestral profile.
Sister Salvation · 1960
Sister Salvation
Hampton's early arrangements for octet demonstrate his gifts already fully developed.
Listen forNotice how register shapes the orchestral profile.
Find listening example on YouTubeProfile derived from the arranger’s documented style and recording notes; exact instrumentation is not asserted.
World of Trombones · 1979
Confirmation
Hampton's arrangements for trombone ensemble demonstrate his understanding of his instrument and his gifts for unusual instrumentation.
Listen forNotice how register shapes the orchestral profile.
Find listening example on YouTubeProfile derived from the arranger’s documented style and recording notes; exact instrumentation is not asserted.
Spirit of the Horn · 2006
Frame for the Blues
Hampton's later arrangements for various configurations show sustained creativity into his 70s.
Listen forNotice how register shapes the orchestral profile.
Find listening example on YouTubeProfile derived from the arranger’s documented style and recording notes; exact instrumentation is not asserted.
04
Start here
Three essential albums
One line each—enough context to choose the next listen.
- 01 1960 Sister SalvationSlide Hampton Octet Hampton's early arrangements for octet demonstrate his gifts already fully developed.
- 02 1979 World of TrombonesSlide Hampton and the Jazz Masters Hampton's arrangements for trombone ensemble demonstrate his understanding of his instrument and his gifts for unusual instrumentation.
- 03 2006 Spirit of the HornSlide Hampton Hampton's later arrangements for various configurations show sustained creativity into his 70s.
Voicing & register
At the section’s first attack (beat 1), the voicing is: Trombone 1 E5 (3); Trombone 2 D5 (9); Trombone 3 B4 (maj7); Tuba G3 (5). Bass path: C2–G1–E2–G♯2.
Timbral combination
The background follows the melody’s attacks, so the harmony moves as a block. Trumpet · answer rests here, leaving the lead color exposed.
Voice leading & harmony
The opening E is the third. G–A–G makes the sixth a brief neighbor before the melody lands on D, the ninth.