Back in the Day

Drawing from the Pilot’s expansive archive, Virginian-Pilot news researchers Maureen P. Watts and Jakon Hays look back at our local history. We'll post old photos, stories, advertisements, historical front pages and popular columns unearthed from yesterday’s papers; giving readers a glimpse of this region we call Hampton Roads. Feel free to leave comments or remembrances.

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Category: Local History

■ 05 January 2012 | 11:47 AM

Jazz legend Lionel Hampton jams at the Plaza Hotel and Lounge - 1957

The New Year brings some more surprises from the Pilot photo negative vault.

It was June of 1957, and Lionel Hampton and his band were in Norfolk. Pilot photographer Charlie Meads headed over to the famous Plaza Hotel and Lounge (The Hotel stood at 18th and Church streets and served as the only lodging in Norfolk for the black stars of the day who headlined the Attucks Theatre – the hotel was demolished in 1997).

It looks like the band had a wonderful time, and we are happy to post five never before published shots of this jam session.

The first two shots ran side-by-side in the paper with the caption reading:

Just a little jamming – Lionel Hampton, with Oscar Dennard at his left, helps out with “Ladybird,” a modern jazz piece some of the members of his band jammed on yesterday at The Plaza Hotel. In the photo on the right Elsie Smith, who plays the saxophone for Hampton, tries out a trumpet while Dave Gonzales looks on.

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