Vance Thompson: Lost and Found

For several years, Vance Thompson's career as a musician hung in the balance. Owing to a neurological disorder known as Focal Dystonia, the Grammy-nominated trumpeter and founder of the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra was literally unable to blow his own horn. But unlike other people who may have thrown in the towel or called it a day, Thompson instead looked for an alternative, set his mind and body to work and learned to play a second instrument, namely the vibraphone.

The fruits of Thompson's transformation are evident on the suitably named Lost and Found, recorded in August 2024 with four of his longtime friends and colleagues: guitarist Steve Kovalcheck, pianist Taber Gable, bassist Tommy Sauter and drummer Marcus Finnie. Together they glide easily through a half-dozen of Thompson's tantalizing original compositions and others by Chick Corea ("Bud Powell") and Donald Brown ("My Three Suns") before closing with a lovely reading of Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg's classic "Over the Rainbow."

While the quintet is sharp and able, whether blending or soloing, what is most remarkable is that Thompson sounds like he has been playing the vibraphone all his life, not merely for a couple of years. "It was kind of amazing," he says, "but it didn't take too long before I sounded like myself." In fact, it was only two weeks or so after borrowing a pair of mallets that he was calling friends to take part in informal jam sessions. Even though that was a long way from recording, Thompson kept working until he was ready.

That readiness is apparent here, from Thompson's impeccable playing to his bright and engaging themes, starting with the bop-centered "Tell It Like Is" and including charming commentary on an emotional poem, an inside joke with his wife, his daughters' nickname for the family home, and his emotions during one daughter's wedding. "Bud Powell" introduces an element of funk, and "My Three Suns" does likewise without lessening the session's attractiveness.

While regret for what Thompson lost is understandable, delight in what he found is even more appropriate, especially in light of this remarkable illustration of his composure and endurance. As Sinatra once sang, there are times when things can be "even lovelier, the second time around."