Charles Phillip Thompson (March 21, 1918 – June 16, 2016) was an American swing and

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...

pianist, organist, composer, and arranger.

Early life

Thompson was born in Springfield, Ohio, United States, on March 21, 1918.DeVeaux, Scott; Kernfeld, Barr
"Thompson, Sir Charles."
''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'' (2nd ed.). Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved July 7, 2015. His father was a minister and his stepmother played the piano. "He first studied violin and briefly played tenor saxophone, but took up piano as a teenager." He moved with his family to Parsons, Kansas, in the southeastern part of the state. Later Thompson attended a Kansas City high school. By the age of twelve, Thompson was playing private parties with

Bennie Moten Benjamin Moten (November 13, 1893 – April 2, 1935) was an American jazz pianist and band leader born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. He led his Kansas City Orchestra, the most important of the regional, blues-based orchest ...

and his band in Colorado Springs, Colorado. During this time,

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

played off and on with Moten's band. During a show, Basie called Thompson up to perform. He was dubbed "Sir Charles Thompson" by

Lester Young Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most ...

Career

Thompson chiefly worked with small groups, including the

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first p ...

Howard McGhee Howard McGhee (March 6, 1918 – July 17, 1987) was one of the first American bebop jazz trumpeters, with Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro and Idrees Sulieman. He was known for his fast fingering and high notes. He had an influence on younger beb ...

sextet in 1944–1945. Throughout the 1940s he played and recorded with

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gi ...

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...

and

J. C. Heard James Charles Heard (August 10, 1917 – September 27, 1988) was an American swing, bop, and blues drummer. Biography Heard was born in Dayton, Ohio and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. As a young child, he performed as a tap dancer in a ...

, among others. He played with

Lucky Millinder Lucius Venable "Lucky" Millinder (August 8, 1910 – September 28, 1966) was an American swing and rhythm-and-blues bandleader. Although he could not read or write music, did not play an instrument and rarely sang, his showmanship and musical ...

's big band in 1946, and under

Illinois Jacquet Jean-Baptiste "Illinois" Jacquet (October 30, 1922 – July 22, 2004) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, best remembered for his solo on " Flying Home", critically recognized as the first R&B saxophone solo. Although he was a pioneer of ...

in 1947–48 and 1952. He worked freelance, principally on organ, for much of the 1950s. He played with Parker again in 1953 and recorded with Vic Dickenson and

Buck Clayton Wilbur Dorsey "Buck" Clayton (November 12, 1911 – December 8, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter who was a member of Count Basie's orchestra. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong, first hearing the record "Confessin' That I Love You" ...

in 1953–54. Thompson worked with

Earl Bostic Eugene Earl Bostic (April 25, 1913 – October 28, 1965) was an American alto saxophonist. Bostic's recording career was diverse, his musical output encompassing jazz, swing, jump blues and the post-war American rhythm and blues style, which he ...

in the late 1950s before heading his own quartet in 1959. In the early 1960s, he toured Europe and Canada with Buck Clayton. Thompson was in Europe again in 1964, with

Jazz at the Philharmonic Jazz at the Philharmonic, or JATP (1944–1983), was the title of a series of jazz concerts, tours and recordings produced by Norman Granz. Over the years, "Jazz at the Philharmonic" featured many of the era's preeminent musicians, including Lou ...

, and in 1967 for the show ''Jazz from a Swinging Era''. "Living variously on the West Coast, where he often worked with Vernon Alley, and in Toronto, Paris, and Zurich, he continued to lead small groups through the 1970s and 1980s." He composed the jazz standard "Robbins' Nest".

Personal life

Thompson had one daughter. He died on June 16, 2016 at the age of 98 in a hospital near

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japan. He had lived in the country with his wife Makiko since 2002.

Discography

As leader

* ''Takin' Off'' ( Delmark) * ''Sir Charles Thompson and Coleman Hawkins: For the Ears'' (

Vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives fr ...

, 1954–56) * ''Sir Charles Thompson and the Swing Organ'' ( Columbia, 1959) * ''Sir Charles: Rockin' Rhythm with Sir Charles at the Organ'' (Columbia, 1961) * ''Hey There'' ( Black & Blue, 1974) * ''Robbins' Nest: Live at the Jazz Showcase'' (Delmark, 2000) * ''I Got Rhythm: Live at the Jazz Showcase'' (Delmark, 2001)

As sideman

;With

*'' The Huckle-Buck and Robbins' Nest'' (Columbia, 1954) *'' How Hi the Fi'' (Columbia, 1954) *''

All the Cats Join In ''All the Cats Join In'' is a song written by Ray Gilbert, Eddie Sauter and Alec Wilder, and first recorded by Benny Goodman. It later was a track on an LP with the same title by trumpeter Buck Clayton. Benny Goodman Curiously, Goodman recor ...

'' (Columbia 1956) *'' Buck & Buddy'' (Swingville, 1960) with

Buddy Tate George Holmes "Buddy" Tate (February 22, 1913 – February 10, 2001) was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist. Biography Tate was born in Sherman, Texas, United States, and first played the alto saxophone. According to the website All A ...

*''

One for Buck ''One for Buck'' is an album by trumpeter Buck Clayton which was recorded in 1961 and released on the British Columbia label.Buck & Buddy Blow the Blues'' (Swingville, 1961) with Buddy Tate With

*'' Landslide'' (Blue Note, 1961-62 980 With

Dodo Greene Dodo Greene, (born Dorthea Hawkins; January 18, 1924 - July 21, 2006) was an American jazz vocalist who performed in clubs and venues in Buffalo, and along the East Coast and Chicago, before releasing two albums in the 1960s, and touring internati ...

*'' My Hour of Need'' (Blue Note, 1962) With Joe Newman * '' The Count's Men'' (Jazztone, 1955) * ''

I Feel Like a Newman ''I Feel Like a Newman'' is an album by jazz trumpeter Joe Newman recorded in 1956 and originally released on the Storyville label.Storyville, 1956) With

Paul Quinichette Paul Quinichette (May 17, 1916 – May 25, 1983) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He was known as the "Vice President" or "Vice Prez" for his emulation of the breathy style of Lester Young, whose nickname was "The President", or simply "P ...

* '' Moods'' ( EmArcy, 1954) With Harold Ashby and Paul Gonsalves * '' Tenor Stuff'' ( Columbia (UK),1961) With

Ike Quebec Ike Abrams Quebec (August 17, 1918 – January 16, 1963) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He began his career in the big band era of the 1940s, then fell from prominence for a time until launching a comeback in the years before his dea ...

* ''

The Complete Blue Note 45 Sessions ''The Complete Blue Note 45 Sessions'' is a compilation album by American saxophonist Ike Quebec. The album focuses on Quebec's 45 RPMs recorded between 1959 and 1962 and aimed at the juke box market. The songs were successful, marking the star ...

'' (

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical c ...

, 1960–2) With Joe Williams * ''

Together ''ToGetHer'' (, aka Superstar Express) is a 2009 Taiwanese drama starring Jiro Wang of Fahrenheit, Rainie Yang and George Hu. It was produced by Comic International Productions ( 可米國際影視事業股份有限公司) and directed by Linzi ...

'' (Roulette, 1961) with Harry "Sweets" Edison * ''Jazz Spectacular (Frankie Laine)'' (Columbia 1955)

Bibliography

* Cook, Richard and Morton, Brian (2008) ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings'' (9th ed.), Penguin, p. 1400. .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Charles 1918 births 2016 deaths American jazz pianists American male pianists Apollo Records artists Bebop pianists Columbia Records artists Delmark Records artists Musicians from Springfield, Ohio Swing pianists Jazz musicians from Ohio American male jazz musicians Vanguard Records artists Black & Blue Records artists Sackville Records artists