University of Idaho Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival Receives National Medal of Arts

As the nation prepares to honor jazz great Lionel Hampton during his centennial birth year in 2008, today the White House gave accolades to Hampton’s jazz and education legacy – a legacy which endures in the seemingly unlikely locale of Moscow, Idaho. The 40-years-strong University of Idaho Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival will receive the National Medal of Arts, the nation’s most prestigious arts award, from President George W. Bush in an East Room ceremony on Thursday. The University of Idaho is the first public university to receive the award since it was created by Congress in 1984.

“The University of Idaho is immensely honored to receive the National Medal of Arts and to join the exclusive company of arts leaders in America,” said University President Timothy P. White. “This recognition affirms the vision shared by Lionel Hampton and the university about the power of jazz and education to bridge cultures, inspire creativity, and develop the musical leadership abilities of the next generation of jazz leaders,” said White.

The festival artistic director is six-time Grammy-nominated bassist, composer, arranger, and conductor John Clayton. “This festival has such an enduring impact not only on young jazz artists, but on established jazz artists and jazz supporters from around the world,” Clayton said. “Lionel Hampton’s vision that provided opportunities for professional musicians to mentor and nurture the next jazz generation is a strong part of the festival’s success. And Moscow creates an indescribable atmosphere for fostering jazz education and appreciation.”

The festival has attracted top-flight jazz artists from around the world including current artistic director Clayton, Dizzy Gillespie (Arts Medal winner in 1989), Ella Fitzgerald (who received the Arts Medal in 1987), Dianne Reeves, Toshiko Akioshi, the Lew Tabackin Big Band, Doc Severinsen, Gerry Mulligan, Stan Getz, Carmen McRae, Diana Krall, Wynton Marsalis (recipient of the Arts Medal in 2005), The Four Freshmen and Bobby McFerrin.