Research Catalog

Title

Oral history interview with Milt Hinton.

Publication

New York : Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 1995.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Hinton, Milt
• Ridley, Larry
• Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
• Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Louis Armstrong Jazz Oral History Project.

Description

2 videodiscs (123 min.) : sound, color; 4 3/4 in.

Summary

The oral history interview with Milt Hinton, double-bass player, begins with Hinton performing a tune with interviewer Larry Ridley, followed by a brief outline of his childhood. Born June 23, 1910, Vicksburg, Mississippi, Hinton was an only child raised by a single mother (pianist and teacher). While still a child, Hinton and his mother took part in the exodus of southern Blacks to Chicago after WW I, in Hinton's case, the south side. He mentions being complimented by Louis Armstrong once and how it felt like the stamp of approval. Hinton explains the importance of learning the diatonic scale which he demonstrates, he then performs a song using his unique slap technique. Hinton tells that he has been married 56 years, is a deacon in his church and was brought up in the church. Describes the thriving music scene in Chicago and the musically active high schools of which he was a part. Some musicians he knew from school days: Ray Nance, Gene Krupa, Benny Goodman. Mid 1930s Hinton joined Cab Calloway's band and remained for 16 years. He talks about the history of the band, how it operated, how Cab came to be its leader. Hinton describes the resistance to bass players playing changes in the past, how Jimmy Blanton revolutionized bass playing, and refers to his Ebony Silhouette he recorded before Blanton's time. Hinton refers back to his father, a Monrovian bushman, and how he met for the first time when Hinton was 30 and playing with Cab Calloway. Hinton talks about Black arrangers whose accomplishments he would like young people to know about: Will Vodery, Gil Fuller and Will Marion Cook. He explains how ragtime got its name, and the parallels between jazz and plastic, stemming from a course he took in plastic engineering. Hinton's recording/studio work has resulted in over 600 recordings; at one time in his career he had three recording dates per day. The facts involved in a notorious scuffle between Cab Calloway and Dizzy Gillespie are clarified by Hinton; he also talks about Dizzy's antics in Calloway's band, and Dizzy's remarkable knowledge of music. Hinton tells how traditionally the drummer has been the maintainer of the beat whose primary function was to swing the band; the importance of a marriage, so to speak, between the drummer and the bass player. He comments on how the mechanics of recording have changed and the use of amplifiers. Hinton concludes the interview by expressing his feelings on the endowment of the arts, in particular, the endowment of music for young people's sake; closes with a joke about his age.

Donor/Sponsor

The Louis Armstrong Jazz Oral History Project was funded by the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, Inc.

Subject

• Armstrong, Louis, 1901-1971 > Influence
• Blanton, Jimmy, 1918-1942
• Calloway, Cab, 1907-1994
• Gillespie, Dizzy, 1917-1993
• Hinton, Milt > Childhood and youth
• Hinton, Milt > Interviews
• Vodery, Will H. > Contributions in jazz
• African American musicians
• Double bass > Methods (Jazz)
• Double bass music (Double basses (2))
• Double bass music (Jazz)
• Double bass music > Instruction and study
• Double bass with band
• Double bassists > United States > Interviews
• Jazz > History
• Jazz > History and criticism
• Jazz > Illinois > History
• Jazz musicians > United States > Interviews

Genre/Form

• Nonfiction films.
• Interviews.
• Oral histories.

Note

• Hinton performs: a composition with interviewer Larry Ridley, both musicians on double bass; a rap song of his own; and Mama Don't Want No Music Playin' in Here.
• The Louis Armstrong Jazz Oral History Project was funded by the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, Inc.

Terms of Use (note)

• Permission required to cite, quote and reproduce; contact repository for information.

Biography (note)

• Milt Hinton is a legendary double-bass player and teacher. Born June 23, 1910 in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Hinton moved to Chicago's southside as a youngster and became involved in music through church and school. He played with Cab Calloway's Band for 16 years and has recorded extensively.

Linking Entry (note)

• Forms part of: Louis Armstrong Jazz Oral History Project.

Call Number

Sc Visual DVD-1075

OCLC

1122857053

Title

Oral history interview with Milt Hinton.

Production

New York : Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 1995.

Type of Content

two-dimensional moving image

Type of Medium

video

Type of Carrier

videodisc

Digital File Characteristics

video file DVD

Performer

Interviewer, Larry Ridley.

Event

Recorded August 1, 1995 at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Terms Of Use

Permission required to cite, quote and reproduce; contact repository for information.

Biography

Milt Hinton is a legendary double-bass player and teacher. Born June 23, 1910 in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Hinton moved to Chicago's southside as a youngster and became involved in music through church and school. He played with Cab Calloway's Band for 16 years and has recorded extensively.

Linking Entry

Forms part of: Louis Armstrong Jazz Oral History Project.

Connect to:

Request Access to Schomburg Moving Images and Recorded Sound

Added Author

Hinton, Milt, interviewee.

Hinton, Milt, performer.

Ridley, Larry, interviewer.

Ridley, Larry, performer.

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Louis Armstrong Jazz Oral History Project.

Research Call Number

Sc Visual DVD-1075

Sc Visual VRA-193 VHS

Sc Visual VRC-16 MII videocassette