Now, a Jazz Moment...

MUSIC: "A Night In Tunisia" (live - starts with applause) CD: Dedicated to Diz, Telarc CD-83323 (cut 7)

Slide Hampton: The audience is very important. A performance can be, actually, taken to another level -- to a level beyond what you, yourself, are used to being able to reach, if the audience is really responsive to what you're playing.

NEA Jazz Master, Slide Hampton.

Slide Hampton: And yes. I think of the audience. I think if I can play something that actually gives them some kind of a connection with what we're doing, makes them a part of what we're doing. 'Cause that's what they're there for. There are -- I don't know what the percent is of people that listen is so much higher than the amount of people that play music. So listening, evidently, is the most important aspect of music, you know. We can play in our living room, and that's for our own satisfaction. But when we play a performance, then, we're playing for large numbers of people.

MUSIC: same - up and fades under

This Jazz Moment with Trombonist Slide Hampton was created by the National Endowment for the Arts.