Hampton was one of the first jazz vibraphonists and worked with a number of jazz greats, including Benny Goodman, Buddy Rich, Charlie Parker, and Quincy Jones. He was a Kennedy Center honoree in 1992.
A good example of Hampton's playing is this 1957 performance of "Flying Home":
In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends The Complete Lionel Hampton, 1937-1941 (RCA AXM6-5536, 6 LPs). Unfortunately, the album is only available in vinyl. Jim Determan, who has updated Lyons's list of albums for CD, recommends instead the following titles. About these, Determan notes, "These three volumes contain much of material from the all star sessions that made up the LP boxed set. The first volume is Hampton's pick of his favorites from these sessions."
- Lionel Hampton: Vol. 1 Hot Mallets! The All-Star Groups (Buy at Amazon.com)
- Lionel Hampton: Vol. 2 The Jumpin' Jive: The All-Star Groups: 1937-1939 (Buy at Amazon.com)
- Lionel Hampton: Vol. 3 Tempo and Swing: The All-Star Groups: 1939-1940 (Buy at Amazon.com)
