Lucky Thompson

Lucky Thompson

Al McKibbon, Lucky Thompson, and Hilda Taylor, Three Deuces, New York, 1947
Photo: William P. Gottlieb
Background information
Birth name Eli Thompson
Born (1924-06-16)June 16, 1924
Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.
Origin Detroit, Michigan
Died July 30, 2005(2005-07-30) (aged 81)
Seattle, Washington
Genres Jazz
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments Tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone
Years active 1942–1970s
Associated acts Lionel Hampton, Don Redman, Billy Eckstine, Lucky Millinder, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker

Eli "Lucky" Thompson (June 16, 1924 – July 30, 2005)[1] was an American jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist. While John Coltrane usually receives the most credit for bringing the soprano saxophone out of obsolescence in the early 1960s, Thompson (along with Steve Lacy) embraced the instrument earlier than Coltrane.[2][3]

Early life

Thompson was born in Columbia, South Carolina, and moved to Detroit, Michigan, during his childhood.[1][4] Thompson had to raise his siblings after his mother died, and he practiced saxophone fingerings on a broom handle before acquiring his first instrument.[5][6] He joined Erskine Hawkins' band in 1942 upon graduating from high school.[1]

Career

After playing with the swing orchestras of Lionel Hampton,[1] Don Redman, Billy Eckstine (alongside Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker),[1] Lucky Millinder, and Count Basie, he worked in rhythm and blues and then established a career in bebop and hard bop, working with Kenny Clarke, Miles Davis, Gillespie and Milt Jackson.

Ben Ratliff notes that Thompson "connected the swing era to the more cerebral and complex bebop style. His sophisticated, harmonically abstract approach to the tenor saxophone built off that of Don Byas and Coleman Hawkins; he played with beboppers, but resisted Charlie Parker's pervasive influence."[1] He showed these capabilities as sideman on many albums recorded during the mid-1950s, such as Stan Kenton's Cuban Fire!, and those under his own name. He recorded with Parker (on two Los Angeles Dial Records sessions) and on Miles Davis's hard bop Walkin' session.[1][4] Thompson recorded albums as leader for ABC Paramount and Prestige and as a sideman on records for Savoy Records with Jackson as leader.

Thompson was strongly critical of the music business,[1] later describing promoters, music producers and record companies as "parasites" or "vultures".[4] This, in part, led him to move to Paris, where he lived and made several recordings between 1957 and 1962.[1] During this time, he began playing soprano saxophone.[4]

Thompson returned to New York, then lived in Lausanne, Switzerland, from 1968 until 1970,[1] and recorded several albums there including A Lucky Songbook in Europe. He taught at Dartmouth College in 1973 and 1974, then completely left the music business.[1]

Later life

In his last years he lived in Seattle, Washington.[1][4] Acquaintances reported that Thompson was homeless by the early 1990s, and lived as a hermit.[1][4] Thompson died in an assisted living facility on July 30, 2005.[1][4]

Family

Thompson was married to Thelma Thompson, who died in 1963.[7] Thompson's son, guitarist Daryl Thompson, played with Peter Tosh and Black Uhuru before embarking on a jazz career in the late 1980s.[8] Thompson also had a daughter, Jade Thompson-Fredericks, and two grandchildren.[1]

Discography

As sideman

With Miles Davis

With Oscar Pettiford

With Art Blakey

With Jimmy Cleveland

With Dizzy Gillespie

With Milt Jackson

With John Lewis

With Thelonious Monk
With Stan Kenton
With Dinah Washington

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Ratliff, Ben (2005-08-05). "Lucky Thompson, Jazz Saxophonist, Is Dead at 81". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  2. ↑ Lucky Thompson - Happy Days, allmusic.com.
  3. ↑ Lucky Thompson - Lucky Strikes, allmusic.com.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Chia Hui Hsu, Judy (2005-08-06). "Jazz great Eli Thompson soared for 3 decades, fell silent". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  5. ↑ Ankeny, Jason. Lucky Thompson at AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
  6. 1 2 Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). New York: Penguin. pp. 1397–1398. ISBN 978-0-14-103401-0.
  7. ↑ Johnson, John H., ed. (August 15, 1963). "New York Beat". JET. Chicago: Johnson. 24 (17): 64. ISSN 0021-5996. Retrieved 2011-04-26. Thelma Thompson, who died of a stroke, was the wife of tenor saxophonist Lucky Thompson. They had been separated for over a year
  8. ↑ Johnson, John H., ed. (September 25, 1989). "New Image". JET. Chicago: Johnson. 76 (25): 18. ISSN 0021-5996. Retrieved 2011-04-26.
  9. ↑ "Monk, Thelonious Discography". Blue Note Records. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  10. ↑ Yanow, Scott. Mellow Mama at AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-01-18.

External links

Complete Discography Overview
Complete Discography 1943 - 1950
Complete Discography 1951 - 1956
Complete Discography 1957 - 1974


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/8/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.