Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival
The Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival is an annual jazz festival held at the University of Idaho that brings established jazz musicians together with students. In addition to the festival performances of the invited jazz musicians and students, there are workshops and clinics around the festival. It takes place on four days in February.
The first jazz festival took place in 1967. It had its national breakthrough in 1981 when Ella Fitzgerald's performance attracted thousands of visitors. In 1984 it received support from Lionel Hampton , after whom the festival was named in 1985. From 1995, a program for schools followed, in which jazz musicians performing attended local schools in Idaho and east Washington.
In 2006 John Clayton became Artistic Director. Prior to that, Doc Lynn Skinner had been a director since 1977.
In addition to the aforementioned, Doc Severinsen , Bobby McFerrin , Sarah Vaughn , Dizzy Gillespie , The Manhattan Transfer , Elvin Jones , Dianne Reeves , Gerry Mulligan , Carmen McRae , Stan Getz , Diana Krall , Roy Hargrove , Wynton Marsalis , Hank performed at the festival Jones , Benny Green , Joey DeFrancesco and Freddie Hubbard .
In 2007 the festival received the National Medal of Arts .