Midnight Sun - Lionel Hampton (Score reconstruction)

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AndrewMeronek
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Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2018 6:09 pm

Midnight Sun - Lionel Hampton (Score reconstruction)

Post by AndrewMeronek »

I just finished up some "finishing touches" on this reconstruction from Lionel Hampton's recording, to bring into rehearsal later this week.
Midnight Sun score snap.png
This was an interesting project. Gary Herzensteil did end up having access to the original score from Hampton's library but the score had a whole lot of discrepancies (dare I say errors? :horror: ) compared to the recording, and the score did not include the "shout" at all. I had to fully transcribe that part.

For example, in that picture above, the trombone note in m. 3 was not in the score, nor were any of the sax notes in m.4-5 except for those tenor/bari pickups into A.

A link to the reference recording:

. . . Really pretty tune.

Anyway, the discrepancies, at least here on the first page, in my humble opinion show something interesting about performance practice in this period. Many bands pretty quickly memorized charts like this, and although I don't know for sure in Hampton's bands' case, I think this likely. In my imagination I think through a few rehearsals they did something like "hey, we need another note here, [trombone guy] play this." And they gradually built the chart up.

I also think that the original score of the shout, being not in this score, probably might be lost and likely was written out in some other day after what Gary scanned was penned, after they decided it needed something shouty.

So, that's me in my own head but it can be fun to go through this process and empathize with these musicians.
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Last edited by AndrewMeronek on Wed May 06, 2026 3:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
“All musicians are subconsciously mathematicians.”

- Thelonious Monk
AndrewMeronek
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Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2018 6:09 pm

Re: Midnight Sun - Lionel Hampton

Post by AndrewMeronek »

For the curious, Gary also dug up this potential personnel list.
These are their best guess at Lordisco.com:

Wendell Culley tp
Duke Garrette tp
Teddy Buckner tp
Leo Shepherd tp
Walter Williams tp
James Robinson tb
Andrew Penn tb
Jimmy Wormick tb
Britt Woodman tb
Jackie Kelso cl,as
Bobby Plater as
Ben Kynard as
Morris Lane ts
Johnny Sparrow ts
Charles Fowlkes bar
Lionel Hampton vib,d,vcl,ldr
Milt Buckner p
Charles Mingus b
Joe Comfort b
Charles Harris b
Earl Walker d
This recording very obviously does not include this entire list of musicians, but we don't know which of these actually were on that recording. Aside from Lionel, of course.
“All musicians are subconsciously mathematicians.”

- Thelonious Monk
AndrewMeronek
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Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2018 6:09 pm

Re: Midnight Sun - Lionel Hampton

Post by AndrewMeronek »

Part of the original scan for reference:
Midnight Sun original score snap.png
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“All musicians are subconsciously mathematicians.”

- Thelonious Monk
MaxPirone
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Re: Midnight Sun - Lionel Hampton (Score reconstruction)

Post by MaxPirone »

Hi you will sell that?
Thanks
AndrewMeronek
Posts: 1567
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2018 6:09 pm

Re: Midnight Sun - Lionel Hampton (Score reconstruction)

Post by AndrewMeronek »

MaxPirone wrote: Thu May 21, 2026 4:07 am Hi you will sell that?
Thanks
At this point, no. This was an exercise between friends.
“All musicians are subconsciously mathematicians.”

- Thelonious Monk
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