by Ken Dryden
Lionel Hampton is joined by a number of top French jazz musicians plus Nat Adderley and American expatriate Benny Bailey for this 1955 studio session, playing Christian Chevalier's charts. &All the Things You Are& features the vibraphonist with the rhythm section, with strong solo efforts by guitarist Sacha Distel and pianist René Urtreger, along with the leader. The low-key, lengthy treatment of &I Cover the Waterfront& almost suggests a Jazz at the Philharmonic session, showcasing nice features for trumpeter Bernard Hullin, tenor saxophonist Maurice Meunier, Urtreger, and Hampton. Things finally seem to loosen up with Hampton's swinging riff tune &Red Ribbon,& with the solid rhythm and powerful brass and reeds igniting the vibraphonist, who trades solos with several players, including French horn player Dave Amram. &Night and Day,& like &I Cover the Waterfront,& is stretched out considerably, but benefits from a brisker setting. A long overlooked recording, this laudable date was finally reissued by Universal in 2000 as a part of its very affordable Jazz in Paris series.