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Will Thompson
Sir Charles Thompson in 15 Tracks
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Pianist Sir John Thompson could play anything. And he did, from swing and jump blues to bebop and pop, on recording session after recording session. Lester Young dubbed him “Sir" in the early 1940s when they were both performing at Cafe Society in New York. Prez laid the moniker on Thompson to honor his elegant keyboard style, and it stuck. [Photo above of Sir Charles Thompson] Remarkably, Thompson lived to be 98. I say remarkably because being a jazz musicians ...
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Backgrounder: Lucky Thompson + Oscar Pettiford
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
After I posted Tuesday on saxophonist Lucky Thompson, the emails poured in. So I decided to make my Backgrounder this week one of the Thompson albums I love dearly: Lucky Thompson Featuring Oscar Pettiford. The material was recorded in January and February 1956. The four January tracks are Bo-Bi My Boy, OP Meets LT, Tricotism and Body and Soul. The trio was Lucky Thompson (ts), Skeeter Best (g) and Oscar Pettiford (b). The four February tracks are Tom-Kattin, Old Reliable, ...
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Video and Audio: Lucky Thompson
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
In February 1960, Lucky Thompson led an octet at the Paris Blue Note. Featured on stage were Thompson (ts,ss) backed by Leonard C. Johnson (tp), Jimmy Cleveland (tb), Marcel Rasko, Joe Rasko and Sahib Shihab (saxophones), Buddy Catlett (b) and Kenny Clarke (d), with Thelma Thompson on vocals. Thelma was Lucky's wife and would die three years later from a stroke. I'll show you their performance in a moment. Lucky Thompson had moved to Paris in 1957 and would remain ...
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Lucky Thompson's Ballads (1953-'56)
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Lucky Thompson was one of the most gorgeous tenor saxophonists of the post-war period. His tone was pronounced, slippery and confidential and his improvising was as fluid and as seamless as syrup. His sweet spot was mid-tempo numbers, like Lullaby in Rhythm and East of the Sun, but his ballads also were standouts. Delivered with a Ben Webster-like feel, Thompson's crawlers were deeply felt and soulful, especially when he dropped into the lower register. Here are 10 Lucky Thompson ballads: ...
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Jeter Thompson 1930 - 2017
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St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
Pianist Jeter Thompson, whose leadership of the groups Quartette Trés Bien and Trio Trés Bien made him a significant figure on the St. Louis jazz scene from the Gaslight Square era into the 21st century, died on Friday, December 1. He was 87 years old. Born in St. Louis on March 16, 1930, Thompson started playing piano at five years old, and made his first professional appearance at age 16 in 1946, performing with saxophonist Emmett Carter at a downtown ...
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Lucky Thompson: Paris 1956-59
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Eli “Lucky" Thompson was one of jazz's most confident and gifted tenor saxophonists. On recordings, his imagination on solos was so fast and bountiful that he filled virtually every spare space with warm tones. Over the course of his career, Thompson was most at home in Paris, as evidenced by his exhilarating slippery and smokey sound on recordings made there. In recent years, Thompson's Paris recordings have been released on a wide range of French and American labels that have ...
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Jazz this week: Mike Stern & Kimberly Thompson, George Sams, Ralph Towner, Ikue Mori & Nate Wooley, Russell Gunn, and more
Source:
St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
As you might be able to deduce from looking at the headline for this post, it's very busy week for jazz and creative music in St. Louis. Over the next few days, there will be a plethora of visiting performers on local stages, plus the opening of a play about one of the most famous jazz singers ever, free master classes from two guitar greats, and more. Let's go to the highlights... Wednesday, February 15 Guitarist Mike Stern performs for ...
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Passings: Friedman, Jones, Thompson
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Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
The generations move on. It’s a sad part of an observer’s task to acknowledge the deaths of musicians who made important contributions. Pianist Don Friedman died of pancreatic cancer at home in New York City on June 30. He was 81. Friedman was treasured by fellow musicians for the subtlety and strength of his support as an accompanist and for the daring ingenuity of his harmonies. He was equally at home with traditionalist Bobby Hackett; modern mainstreamers Clark Terry, Chet ...
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Lucky Thompson on MPS
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
In 1968, saxophonist Lucky Thompson moved back to Europe with his family after a five-year stay in the States. He settled in Lausanne, Switzerland, which allowed him to tour in European cities where he found the most work. A year later, in March 1969, he recorded A Lucky Songbook in Europe for MPS, one of the Continent's great labels. The album would become one of Thompson's finest works. Lucky Thompson's first trip to Europe came in 1956 while he was ...
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Maria Schneider: The Thompson Fields
Source:
Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
Maria Schneider Orchestra, The Thompson Fields (artistShare) Maria Schneider leads a band of eighteen of the best musicians in New York and keeps winning awards for being on the leading edge of composers and arrangers. Yet, her orchestra’s first album in eight years does not draw its primary inspiration from big city life or the yeasty New York jazz scene. The music reflects the peacefulness and the sometimes-volatile atmosphere of the heartland where she grew up. Memories of the small ...
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Music
Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson
When Satellites Speak
From: Declaration of ResonanceBy Will Thompson
Storm Warnings
From: TAG Thompson/Alford/Golden Deer...By Will Thompson
