Eli "Lucky" Thompson (June 16, 1924 – July 30, 2005) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

tenor and soprano saxophonist whose playing combined elements of

swing Swing or swinging may refer to: Apparatus * Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth * Pendulum, an object that swings * Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus * Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse * Swing ri ...

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 ...

. Although 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.

Early life

Thompson was born in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the cit ...

, and moved to

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

, during his childhood. Thompson had to raise his siblings after his mother died, and he practiced saxophone fingerings on a broom handle before acquiring his first instrument. He joined Erskine Hawkins' band in 1942 upon graduating from high school.

Career

After playing with the

orchestras of

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles ...

, Don Redman,

Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously ...

(alongside

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but a ...

and

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 ...

), Lucky Millinder, and Count Basie, he worked in

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

and then established a career in

and hard bop, working with Kenny Clarke,

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 music ...

, Gillespie and

Milt Jackson Milton Jackson (January 1, 1923 – October 9, 1999), nicknamed "Bags", was an American jazz vibraphonist, usually thought of as a bebop player, although he performed in several jazz idioms. He is especially remembered for his cool swinging so ...

. Ben Ratliff observed 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." He showed these capabilities as sideman on many albums recorded during the mid-1950s, such as

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though K ...

's ''

Cuban Fire! ''Cuban Fire!'' is an album by Stan Kenton and his orchestra released in 1956 by Capitol Records. This was Stan Kenton's big band's first full-length recording of Afro-Cuban-styled music. The LP charted for four weeks in ''Billboard'' starting on ...

'', 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. Thompson recorded albums as leader for

Disques Vogue Disques Vogue was a jazz record company founded in France by Léon Cabat and Charles Delaunay in 1947, the year after the American Vogue label ceased. They originally specialized in jazz, featuring American performers such as Sidney Bechet, ...

(in Paris), ABC Paramount and Prestige and as a sideman on records for

Savoy Records Savoy Records is an American record company and label established by Herman Lubinsky in 1942 in Newark, New Jersey. Savoy specialized in jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel music. In September 2017, Savoy was acquired by Concord Bicycle Music. ...

with Jackson as leader. Thompson was strongly critical of the music business, later describing promoters, music producers and record companies as "parasites" or "vultures". This, in part, led him to move to Paris, where he lived and made several recordings between 1957 and 1962. During this time, he began playing soprano saxophone. Thompson returned to New York, then lived in Lausanne, Switzerland, from 1968 until 1970, and recorded several albums there including ''A Lucky Songbook in Europe''. He taught at

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

in 1973 and 1974, then completely left the music business.

Later life

Thompson's whereabouts after the mid-1970s are unclear; he is believed to have lived briefly on Manitoulin Island in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

and in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

. In his last years, he lived in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

. Acquaintances reported that Thompson was homeless by the early 1990s, and lived as a hermit. Thompson died from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...

in an

assisted living An assisted living residence or assisted living facility (ALF) is a housing facility for people with disabilities or for adults who cannot or who choose not to live independently. The term is popular in the United States, but the setting is si ...

facility on July 30, 2005.

Family

Thompson was married to Thelma Thompson, who died in 1963. Thompson's son, guitarist Daryl Thompson, played with

Peter Tosh Winston Hubert McIntosh, OM (19 October 1944 – 11 September 1987), professionally known as Peter Tosh, was a Jamaican reggae musician. Along with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer, he was one of the core members of the band the Wailers (1963 ...

and

Black Uhuru Black Uhuru is a Jamaican reggae group formed in 1972, initially as Uhuru ( Swahili for 'freedom'). The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years, with Derrick "Duckie" Simpson as the mainstay. They had their most successful pe ...

before embarking on a jazz career in the late 1980s. Thompson also had a daughter, Jade Thompson-Fredericks, and two grandchildren.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

* ''Accent On Tenor Saxophone'' (

Urania Urania ( ; grc, , Ouranía; modern Greek shortened name ''Ránia''; meaning "heavenly" or "of heaven") was, in Greek mythology, the muse of astronomy, and in later times, of Christian poetry. Urania is the goddess of astronomy and stars, ...

, 1954; reissued by Fresh Sound) * ''Tricotism'' (

ABC-Paramount ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels befo ...

, 1956) * ''Brown Rose'' ( Xanadu, 1956) * '' Lord, Lord, Am I Ever Gonna Know?'' (

Candid Candid may refer to: * Candid (app), a mobile app for anonymous discussions * Candid (organization), providing information on US nonprofit companies * Candid Records, a record label * Ilyushin Il-76, NATO reporting name ''Candid'', a Soviet aircra ...

, 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 A split album (or split) is a music album that includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There are also singles and EPs of the same variety, which are often called "split singles" and "split EPs" respectively. Split albums differ from " va ...

with

Jimmy McGriff James Harrell McGriff (April 3, 1936 – May 24, 2008) was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader. Biography Early years and influences Born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, United States, McGriff started playing pi ...

* ''

I Offer You ''I Offer You'' is an album featuring performances by jazz saxophonist Lucky Thompson which was released on the Groove Merchant label.

'' (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 Concord Jazz is a record company and label founded in 1973 by Carl Jefferson, the former owner of Jefferson Motors Lincoln Mercury dealership in Concord, California. The label was named after the city in the East San Francisco Bay area, and the ...

, 2000) * ''Modern Jazz Group'' (

EmArcy EmArcy Records is a jazz record label founded in 1954 by the American Mercury Records. The name is a phonetic spelling of "MRC", the initials for Mercury Record Company. During the 1950s and 1960s, musicians such as Max Roach, Clifford Brown, ...

, no date/ Sunnyside, 2000) * ''Jazz in Paris'', with Dave Pochonet All Stars (Sunnyside, 2001) * ''Home Comin'' (2003)

As sideman

With

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and Singing, vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and se ...

* '' Louis and the Angels'' (Decca, 1957) With Harry Arnold * ''Guest Book'' (Metronome, 1961) With

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the ...

*''

Soul Finger "Soul Finger" is the first single released by R&B group the Bar-Kays. It was issued by Stax Records on the Volt Records label on April 14, 1967. Background The song was written by the Bar-Kays while they were rehearsing with Norman West to per ...

'' (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 Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females. Varia ...

* ''The Zodiac Variations'' (Fontana, 1964) With

* '' Walkin''' (Prestige, 1954) With

* '' Afro'' (Norgran, 1954) * '' Dizzy and Strings'' (Norgran, 1954) With

* '' Meet Milt Jackson'' (

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Sa ...

, 1956) * '' Roll 'Em Bags'' (Savoy, 1956) * '' Jackson's Ville'' (Savoy, 1956) * '' Ballads & Blues'' (Atlantic, 1956) * ''

The Jazz Skyline ''The Jazz Skyline'' is an album by American jazz vibraphonist Milt Jackson featuring performances recorded in 1956 and released on the Savoy label.

'' (Savoy, 1956) * '' Plenty, Plenty Soul'' (Atlantic, 1957) With

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

* '' I/We Had a Ball'' (Limelight, 1964) With

* ''

'' (Capitol, 1956) With

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

* '' The Modern Jazz Society Presents a Concert of Contemporary Music'' (Norgran, 1955) With

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", ...

* '' Genius of Modern Music: Volume 2'' ( Blue Note, 1952) With Oscar Pettiford * ''

The Oscar Pettiford Orchestra in Hi-Fi ''The Oscar Pettiford Orchestra in Hi-Fi'' is an album by bassist/cellist and composer Oscar Pettiford which was recorded in 1956 and first issued on the ABC-Paramount label. The album was reissued on CD on Impulse! Records as ''Deep Passion'' in ...

'' (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 Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...

* '' Mellow Mama'' (Delmark, 1945 992 Apollo Records recordings Sources:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Lucky 1924 births 2005 deaths African-American saxophonists American expatriates in Switzerland American jazz tenor saxophonists American male saxophonists Bebop saxophonists Cass Technical High School alumni Chess Records artists Count Basie Orchestra members Dartmouth College faculty Neurological disease deaths in Washington (state) Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Hard bop saxophonists Nessa Records artists Musicians from Columbia, South Carolina Post-bop saxophonists Prestige Records artists Xanadu Records artists Candid Records artists American expatriates in France American jazz soprano saxophonists Homeless people Swing saxophonists 20th-century saxophonists American male jazz musicians Earle Spencer Orchestra members HighNote Records artists 20th-century American male musicians