[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 34, Number 30 (Monday, July 27, 1998)]
[Pages 1469-1470]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Birthday Celebration for Jazz Musician Lionel Hampton

July 23, 1998

    Thank you. I would say you gave a better speech for me than I played 
a song for you. [Laughter]
    Let me say to Lionel Hampton and this wonderful orchestra, to all of 
you who are here who made this evening possible--LeVerne, thank you. Max 
Roach, thank you for coming. All of us who have been your fans for so 
long are honored to be in your presence. Thank you, Reverend Jackson. 
Thank you, all the Members of Congress who are here. A very, very 
special word of thanks to two perfectly wonderful men and fellow 
travelers along the road of jazz music and progressive politics--
[laughter]--John Conyers and Charlie Rangel. Thank you for making this 
evening possible.
    You know, Hillary and I have loved many things about the opportunity 
to serve here, but maybe none more than the opportunity to share with 
America the great gifts of our artists. And this is a special night. 
Lionel Hampton is 90 years old this year. You should know that he has 
played for every President since Harry Truman. I was minus one when 
Harry Truman became President--[laughter]--so he's been at this a day or 
two.
    It's been a long time since he joined Louis Armstrong and gave him a 
hit song and revolutionized jazz music forever. I was telling Hillary 
when Hamp was up there playing and singing, I said, ``You know, my ears 
are going. I can't even hear the pitch anymore, and there he is, hitting 
the pitch.'' [Laughter] All of you who've ever played or tried to sing, 
the idea that he hit the pitch is something. And they played 
magnificently tonight. They lifted our spirits; they lifted our hearts.
    I am personally indebted to Hillary and Charlie Rangel and John 
Conyers for cooking this night up, and I think all of us are. And I just 
want to say that even though your real birthday was a few months 
earlier, what the heck, you only turn 90 once--[laughter]--we think it 
ought to be a year-long celebration.
    So I would like to ask the White House magnificent chef who does 
these things for

[[Page 1470]]

us to bring Mr. Hampton a little gift in here. And I'd like to ask all 
of you to stand and join me in singing ``Happy Birthday'' to him.

Note: The President spoke at 8 p.m. in the East Room at the White House. 
In his remarks, he referred to LeBaron Taylor, senior vice president-
corporate affiars, Sony Corporation; musician Max Roach; and civil 
rights advocate Rev. Jesse Jackson.