JAZZ REVIEW : For Hampton, Norvo, Their Ship Has Come In : Two other masters of the vibraphone help deliver good vibes at a jam session aboard an ocean liner.

Musical battles, in which horn players trade improvised ideas, have long been a tradition in jazz, but none was ever comparable to one that took place last weekend. The occasion was the eighth annual Jazz Festival aboard a liner, cruising between Miami and the West Indies. The event was a vibraphonists’ summit meeting.

Of all the instruments in the family of music, only the vibraphone is the virtually exclusive property of jazz. Moreover, of the few giants the mallet family has produced, all are still living. This too is true of no other instrument.

To have four of the most influential vibes stars together under one roof, or, rather, on one deck, set an extraordinary precedent. Even Red Norvo, the legendary and universally respected pioneer who played with Benny Goodman, who launched the entire mallet movement with a series of classic recordings, was on hand, but officially just as an honored guest. A stroke he suffered a few years ago put an end to his playing career, which had also been impeded by severe hearing problems, and, early this year, a fractured hip that all but immobilized him.

Meanwhile, previous Goodman sideman Lionel Hampton had earned world renown as the Vibes President. For this occasion, instead of bringing his own ensemble, he drew on the more than 60 jazz artists hired for the floating festival and put together a big band, several of whose members were on board as leaders in their own right (trumpeter Jon Faddis, trombonist Al Grey, pianist Kenny Barron).

Hampton and Norvo, born within weeks of one another in 1908, were the only mallet masters of the swing era. Then came be-bop and the arrival of two young virtuosi, Terry Gibbs and Milt Jackson. Jackson was not there, but Gibbs (yet another Goodman alumnus) showed up on the Norway, with a quintet co-led by the clarinetist Buddy De Franco. Their collaborations suggested a bop counterpart of the Goodman small units, but with a fresh, vigorous level of energy and excitement.

A third generation of vibes was represented by Gary Burton. Still in his 30s, active for many years as a teacher at Berklee College in Boston, Burton took the instrument a step farther with his subtle use of four mallets, intricate harmonies and adventurous compositions.

Burton appeared several times with his own quintet, but to climax the week a “Vibraphone Spectacular” was mounted, for which three sets of vibes were ranged across the stage. After Burton and Gibbs had each contributed a solo, they pooled their talents for a no-holds-barred duel on “Night in Tunisia.” Next came a blues battle on Charlie Parker’s “Now’s the Time,” during which Gibbs’ versatile young pianist, John Campbell, picked up a pair of mallets and added his own good vibrations.

Then came the moment that would prove to be the dramatic climax of the show. “We have a very great artist in our midst,” said Gibbs. “Although he had a stroke and hasn’t been playing, his right hand is still good, and we’d be honored if Red Norvo would join us.”

Easing himself out of his wheelchair, the paterfamilias of the mallet family used a cane to work his way to the center vibraphone. Flanked by Gibbs and Burton, he picked up two mallets and swung gently into “When You’re Smiling.”

As he reached the last chorus, Gibbs and Burton galvanized the group with rhythmic punctuations for a finale that brought the crowd to its feet. Norvo, seemingly overcome with emotion, was on the verge of tears.

This was not the end of the show. Lionel Hampton followed with a routine of joke cracking, vibes playing and jamming, but nothing, it seemed, could follow the return to the public eye of a much-loved pioneer who had not faced an audience since 1986.