Lionel Hampton Big Band

BAND BIOS

Jason Marsalis

Vibes, Drums

Jason is the son of pianist and music educator Ellis Marsalis and his wife Dolores, and the youngest sibling of Wynton, Branford and Delfeayo. By age six, Jason was taking lessons from the legendary New Orleans drummer James Black. Jason was progressing so rapidly as a drummer that in 1984 his father started using him consistently on engagements. In 1991, he auditioned and was accepted at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts High School (NOCCA). In 1995, Marsalis joined a new group lead by virtuoso pianist Marcus Roberts, while studying composition with notable classical composer Roger Dickerson. During this time Jason was playing with Joe Henderson, Lionel Hampton, CasaSamba, Neslort, Dr. Michael White, and in 1998 he co-founded the Latin-jazz group Los Hombres Calientes. In 2009, the Marsalis Family received the NEA Jazz Masters Award and were honored at the White House and the Kennedy Center. In 2010, he recorded with on Christian Fabian's "West Coast Session", and that collaboration inspired the formation of The Native Jazz Quartet, which toured as Jazz Ambassadors for the US State Department. In 2013, Marsalis produced In a World of Mallets as a leader on vibes. The album went to Number 1 on the CMJ radio charts.

Find out more about Jason at: jasonmarsalis.com

CHRISTIAN FABIAN

Co-Leader

Bass

Christian Fabian is a co-leader of the New Lionel Hampton Band featuring Jason Marsalis, and Christian, Lance and Cleave relaunched the Band in 2015 with the blessing of the Lionel Hampton Estate. Christian was born in Sweden, and moved to the US in the ’90s to attend Berklee College. He is currently active in the New York City jazz scene, playing with Mike Longo’s NY State of the Art Jazz Ensemble and around the metro area. He co-founded the Native Jazz Quartet—featuring Jason Marsalis and Reuel Lubag—with Ed Littlefield. The Quartet was selected by the US State Department to be American Jazz Ambassadors in 2013 and toured South America for the US in 2014.

Find out more about Christian at: christianfabian.com

LANCE bryant

co-leader

Tenor Sax, Vocals

Lance began his decade-long relationship with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra in 1990 and in 1993 became the Orchestra’s Musical Director and Principal Arranger. Lance comes out of Markham, Illinois, and studied saxophone, composition and arranging at Berklee College of Music and later with Frank Foster, the former director of the Count Basie Orchestra and Bruce Adolphe of Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Society. Lance also made his film debut in Spike Lee’s Malcolm X and traveled extensively with Phyllis Hyman, Jon Hendricks, Pete “LaRocca” Sims, Wallace Roney, Abdulah Ibrahim, Bootsy Collins, James Williams and others. In 2000, Lance performed in theTony-Nominated Broadway production of Swing! as an onstage musician. Other notable projects include: For the Love of Jazz on Mojazz Records (Lionel Hampton) and DemBones and Simply Natural on MaxJazz Records for Grammy nominated vocalist Carla Cook and many more. Lance tours with South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim and the Count Basie Orchestra.

Find out more about Lance at: lancebryant.com

Cleave Guyton Jr

Co-leader

Alto Sax

Cleave Guyton is a professional musician who plays saxophone, flute and clarinet. He has been fortunate to have worked with Aretha Franklin, Abdullah Ibrahim, Joe Henderson, Stanley Turrentine, Nat Adderley, Abby Lincoln, The Duke Ellington Orchestra, Jon Hendricks, The Ray Charles Orchestra, Lionel Hampton, The Count Basie Orchestra, The Cab Calloway Orchestra, Little Jimmy Scott, Spike Lee, Joe Williams, Late Night with Conan Obrien, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Ronny Jordan, The Mingus band, Cleo Laine, Chaka Khan, The Boys Choir and many more.

Find out more about Cleave at: cleaveguytonjr.com