Lucky Thompson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lucky Thompson
Lucky Thompson at the 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, U.S.
Died	July 30, 2005(2005-07-30) (aged 81) Seattle, Washington, U.S.
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) was an American jazz musician. He was famous for playing the tenor and soprano saxophones. His music mixed two styles: swing and bebop. Lucky Thompson was one of the first musicians to use the soprano saxophone. This was before it became very popular in the 1960s.

Growing Up

Lucky Thompson was born in Columbia, South Carolina. He moved to Detroit, Michigan, when he was a child. After his mother passed away, he helped raise his brothers and sisters. He even practiced saxophone fingerings on a broom handle before getting his first instrument! In 1942, he joined Erskine Hawkins' band right after high school.

His Music Career

Lucky Thompson played with many famous swing bands. These included Lionel Hampton, Don Redman, and Count Basie. He also played with Billy Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie, and Charlie Parker. Later, he became known for playing bebop and hard bop jazz styles. He worked with other great musicians like Kenny Clarke, Miles Davis, and Milt Jackson.

His Unique Style

Music expert Ben Ratliff said that Thompson connected the older swing style to the more complex bebop style. Lucky Thompson had a very smart and detailed way of playing the tenor saxophone. He played with bebop musicians but kept his own unique sound. He showed his amazing skills on many albums in the mid-1950s. He recorded with Charlie Parker and on Miles Davis's Walkin' album. Thompson also made his own albums in Paris and the U.S.

Challenges and Travels

Lucky Thompson was not happy with how the music business worked. He felt that some people, like promoters and record companies, took advantage of musicians. Because of this, he decided to move to Paris, France. He lived there and made several recordings between 1957 and 1962. During this time, he started playing the soprano saxophone.

Later, Thompson returned to New York. From 1968 to 1970, he lived in Lausanne, Switzerland. He recorded more albums there, including A Lucky Songbook in Europe. In 1973 and 1974, he taught at Dartmouth College. After that, he decided to leave the music business completely.

Later Life

After the mid-1970s, Lucky Thompson lived a very private life. He is thought to have lived for a short time on Manitoulin Island in Canada. He also lived in Savannah, Georgia. In his final years, he lived in Seattle, Washington. He passed away from Alzheimer's disease on July 30, 2005.

Family

Lucky Thompson was married to Thelma Thompson, who died in 1963. His son, Daryl Thompson, is a guitarist. Daryl played with Peter Tosh and Black Uhuru before starting his own jazz career. Lucky Thompson also had a daughter named Jade Thompson-Fredericks and two grandchildren.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

• Accent On Tenor Saxophone (Urania, 1954; reissued by Fresh Sound)
• Tricotism (ABC-Paramount, 1956)
• Brown Rose (Xanadu, 1956)
• Lord, Lord, Am I Ever Gonna Know? (Candid, 1961)
• Lucky Thompson Plays Jerome Kern and No More (Moodsville, 1963)
• Lucky Strikes (Prestige, 1964)
• Lucky Thompson Plays Happy Days Are Here Again (Prestige, 1965)
• Lucky is Back! (Rivoli, 1965)
• Soul's Nite Out (Ensayo, 1970)
• Goodbye Yesterday (Groove Merchant, 1973)
• Concert: Friday the 13th - Cook County Jail (Groove Merchant, 1973) - split album with Jimmy McGriff
• I Offer You (Groove Merchant, 1973)
• Back to the World (51 West, 1979)
• Lucky Thompson (Inner City Jazz Legacy, 1980)
• Lucky Thompson: Sonny Lester Collection (LRC, 1991)
• Paris Blue, with Sammy Price (Concord Jazz, 2000)
• Modern Jazz Group (EmArcy, no date/Sunnyside, 2000)
• Jazz in Paris, with Dave Pochonet All Stars (Sunnyside, 2001)
• Home Comin' (2003)

As sideman

With Louis Armstrong

• Louis and the Angels (Decca, 1957)

With Harry Arnold

• Guest Book (Metronome, 1961)

With Art Blakey

• Soul Finger (Limelight, 1965)

With Benny Carter

• A Man Called Adam (Reprise, 1965)

With Kenny Clarke

• Kenny Clarke Plays Pierre Michelot (Columbia, 1957)

With Jimmy Cleveland

• Introducing Jimmy Cleveland and His All Stars (EmArcy, 1955)

With Johnny Dankworth

• The Zodiac Variations (Fontana, 1964)

With Miles Davis

• Walkin' (Prestige, 1954)

With Dizzy Gillespie

• Afro (Norgran, 1954)
• Dizzy and Strings (Norgran, 1954)

With Milt Jackson

• Meet Milt Jackson (Savoy, 1956)
• Roll 'Em Bags (Savoy, 1956)
• Jackson's Ville (Savoy, 1956)
• Ballads & Blues (Atlantic, 1956)
• The Jazz Skyline (Savoy, 1956)
• Plenty, Plenty Soul (Atlantic, 1957)

With Quincy Jones

• I/We Had a Ball (Limelight, 1964)

With Stan Kenton

• Cuban Fire! (Capitol, 1956)

With John Lewis

• The Modern Jazz Society Presents a Concert of Contemporary Music (Norgran, 1955)

With Thelonious Monk

• Genius of Modern Music: Volume 2 (Blue Note, 1952)

With Oscar Pettiford

• The Oscar Pettiford Orchestra in Hi-Fi (ABC-Paramount, 1956)
• The Oscar Pettiford Orchestra in Hi-Fi Volume II (ABC-Paramount, 1957)

With Ralph Sharon

• Around the World in Jazz (Rama, 1957)

With Martial Solal

• Martial Solal et Son Grand Orchestre (Swing, 1957)

With Dinah Washington

• Mellow Mama (Delmark, 1945 [1992]) Apollo Records recordings

See also

In Spanish: Lucky Thompson para niños