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Apr. 26, 2015

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Maurice "Mo" Levich (right) presents the original score of jazz great  Lionel Hampton’s, the “King David Suite,” to BGU President Prof. Rivka Carmi and Dr. Adi Portughies of the BGU's Ben-Gurion Archives.

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The original score of the “King David Suite” composed by jazz legend Lionel Hampton as a tribute to his friend David Ben-Gurion and commemorating the emergence of Israel, was donated last week to the Ben-Gurion Archives on BGU's Sede Boqer campus.  

The King David Suite, composed by Hampton in 1953 with orchestration by Frank Como, is a “third stream” work combining jazz and classical elements in a symphony that was performed by orchestras in 19 countries. Efforts are under way to perform the work again.
 
The only score was thought to be lost in a 1997 fire that completely gutted Hampton’s New York apartment. It was rediscovered only a few years ago in the possession of Hampton’s arranger, Como, with Hampton’s original notes and comments.
 
Como’s original King David score was presented to BGU President Prof. Rivka Carmi in her office in Beer-Sheva by his fellow band mate Maurice “Mo” Levich. Como and Levich are co-directors of the The Big Band of Rossmoor, which performs big band jazz with members ranging in ages from the teens to the high 90s.
 
“I’m extremely excited and honored on behalf of Frank Como to bring this historic piece of music to the Ben-Gurion Archives where people can see and study it,” says Levich. “The music lives on as a survivor of time and fire and we hope that the reformed Lionel Hampton Big Band, led by vibraphonist Jason Marsalis, will move forward to perform it with symphonies in the future.”
 
“The King David Suite is a poignant, majestic piece inspired by the birth of the nation of Israel,” said Prof. Carmi. “We are so pleased to accept this rare manuscript that combines the spirit of American Jazz and classical music with biblical and historical themes of Israel’s history.” 

 

Hampton first met Ben-Gurion in the 1950s while visiting Israel. He entertained the troops, was inspired by his visit to the Tomb of King David and even met with then-Chief Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog. Hampton wanted to have a discussion about the Bible, but the rabbi first wanted insight into the “Boogie-Woogie,” according to Levich. 
 
“The work actually was a series of individual pieces with the name King David. Frank Como did quite a bit of arranging and orchestration for Hampton and was essential in helping complete the subsequent work,” Levich explains.
 
Dr. Adi Portughies eagerly accepted the Suite on behalf of the Ben-Gurion Archives. “On behalf of the Archives, thank you very much. This is a great contribution. On this day [Israel Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror Remembrance Day], we say that the dead order us to live. This [music] is life. I do not know much about Ben-Gurion and music since the archive has mostly focused on politics. But this is the incentive to start researching Ben-Gurion and music. We did just find a video of a performance of Ray Charles in 1972 in Sede Boqer.  Ben-Gurion is enthusiastically clapping his hands.” 
 
Located on BGU’s Sede Boqer campus, The Ben-Gurion Research Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism is home to the Ben-Gurion Archives, the equivalent of a Presidential Library in the United States. The Archives house Ben-Gurion’s extensive collection of personal papers, diaries and letters. Over the years, other important collections have been added from the Israel State Archives, Jabotinsky Archives, Labor Archives and more, providing scholars with a unique window into Israel’s past and the early days of the Zionist movement. 
 
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