Lucky Thompson RIP

[brucemacdonald]

I am sure that all saxophonists and especially tenor players will be saddened to hear of the death, at 81, of Lucky Thompson. He had been suffering from Alzheimer's for some time and has died at a home in Seattle. He had retired from playing for some years before his illness; another distinctive voice has fallen silent.



Best wishes

Bruce

[DC]

Such a shame, a huge sound, another great voice lost. RIP

DC

[Tim Price]

What a huge inspiration and lost soul.

I wish more people paid attention to him and listened.
What a player.

[Merlin]

Sad to hear of Lucky's passing.

His horns live on though - Pat LaBarbera has his old tenor and soprano; those are his regular gigging instruments.

[whitetrane]

Sad indeed. A truly original voice who never compromised his music, playing right alongside Bird at the birth of bop.

Something must have inspired me earlier this week to listen to Lucky's "Modern Jazz Group" from Paris in the 50's. Another great one is "Lucky Strikes" from the early 60's. Lucky is now gone but his spirit remains.

Any web links to obits or bios of Lucky where I can find out more about his life and music?

[cleger]

Any web links to obits or bios of Lucky where I can find out more about his life and music?


This was posted on another site:

Born Eli Thompson, 16 June 1924, Columbia, South Carolina, USA. Thompson's professional career began in the early 40s as a sideman in territory bands. After moving to New York in 1943 he played tenor saxophone in the bands of Lionel Hampton, Don Redman, Billy Eckstine, Lucky Millinder and in 1944 joined Count Basie. On the west coast he recorded with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, being hired by Gillespie for the famous engagement at Billy Berg's to help make up the numbers when Parker failed to turn up or was late. Indeed, Parker failed to show up for a record session with Ross Russell's Dial label and Thompson sat in. When Parker eventually made a date for Russell, this time with Miles Davis, Thompson was again present. Thompson played briefly with Boyd Raeburn and was also active in the studios.

In 1946 he was a member of the Stars Of Swing, a co-operative band masterminded by Charles Mingus and Buddy Collette and which also featured Britt Woodman and John Anderson. This band lasted less than two months and unfortunately was never recorded. Back in New York at the end of the 40s, Thompson formed his own band and in the early 50s headlined at the Savoy Ballroom. After dabbling briefly in R&B he made several jazz albums with Oscar Pettiford, Milt Jackson and, notably, with Miles Davis on the famous Prestige session for which Davis hired Thompson, J.J. Johnson, Horace Silver, Percy Heath and Art Blakey and which resulted in superb performances of "Walkin'" and "Blue 'N' Boogie". In 1956 he visited Europe, recording prodigiously in France under his own name and also touring with Stan Kenton. Thompson took a liking to Europe and resided there for several years in the late 50s/early 60s and again at the end of the 60s.

Between these two sojourns he played little, preferring life on a small farm in Michigan, and after his latest return from Europe in 1973 he taught for a while before retiring from music. Thompson's playing on tenor and soprano saxophone ably straddles the main strands favoured by musicians of his generation. Although identifiably influenced by Coleman Hawkins and Don Byas, he had absorbed the stylistic departures of Lester Young and Charlie Parker. However, he possessed a fertile imagination and the characteristics of his playing were very much his own; indeed, Thompson proved to be one of the most original and inventive saxophonists working in the post-bebop mainstream and his early retirement was a grievous loss to jazz. His departure from music was prompted by his growing dissatisfaction with the way in which musicians were treated by record companies, club owners, promoters and others in the business. He was especially dismayed by discriminatory practices he encountered from bigoted whites who were in positions of power and could control the careers of black musicians. His own relatively small legacy of recordings is probably not unconnected with the fact that he was never afraid to speak out when he felt injustice was being done.

Source: Encyclopedia of Popular Music

[whitetrane]

Thanks, cleger.

How could I ever forget "Walkin'"?

[whitetrane]

Heres' the link to what I was waiting for, the New York Times obit which ran on Friday, August 5 (good for a week after publication):

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/05/arts/05thompson.html

Includes comments by Johnny Griffin and a 40's publicity photo.

[BlueNote]

I just read about Thompson's death today. I've been out of town for the past week.

I have a couple of his recordings. I have always been fond of his tone and style. Until now I never knew he was a Seattle native (my hometown).

[ZenBen]

Sad to hear of Lucky's passing.

His horns live on though - Pat LaBarbera has his old tenor and soprano; those are his regular gigging instruments.

i got to play the tenor once. what an amazing horn!!