René Thomas (25 February 1926 – 3 January 1975) was a Belgian jazz guitarist. In the early 1950s, he moved to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France, and became part of the modern jazz scene, playing in the style of

Jimmy Raney James Elbert Raney (August 20, 1927 – May 10, 1995) was an American jazz guitarist, born in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, known for his work from 1951 to 1952 and then from 1953 to 1954 with the Red Norvo trio (replacing Tal Farlow) a ...

. He spent brief periods in the United States from 1958 to 1962. Back in Europe, he toured and recorded with

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

, Bobby Jaspar,

Kenny Clarke Kenneth Clarke Spearman (January 9, 1914January 26, 1985), known professionally as Kenny Clarke and nicknamed Klook, was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. A major innovator of the bebop style of drumming, he pioneered the use of the ride ...

, Eddy Louiss,

Stan Getz Stan Getz (born Stanley Gayetski; February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wis ...

Lucky Thompson Eli "Lucky" Thompson (June 16, 1924 – July 30, 2005) was an American jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist whose playing combined elements of swing and bebop. Although John Coltrane usually receives the most credit for bringing the soprano sa ...

Sonny Criss William "Sonny" Criss (23 October 1927 – 19 November 1977) was an American jazz musician. An Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist of prominence during the bebop era of jazz, he was one of many players influenced by Charlie Parker. Biography ...

, Jacques Pelzer, Lou Bennett, Charles "Lolo" Bellonzi, and

Ingfried Hoffmann Ingfried Hoffmann (born January 30, 1935) is a German jazz organist, pianist, trumpeter, arranger and composer. He has recorded for Columbia, Philips, Polydor, and Verve. He has composed music for German television, including music for the Germa ...

. Thomas died of a heart attack in

Santander, Spain Santander ( , ; ) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain. It has a population of 172,000 (2017). It is a port city located in the northern coast of the Iberian Peninsula, facing the Cantab ...

, at the age of 48 on 3 January 1975.

Discography

As leader

* ''Rene Thomas et Son Quintette'' (Vogue, 1955) * ''Guitar Groove'' (Jazzland, 1960) * ''Thomas/Jaspar Quintet'' (RCA Victor, 1962) * ''Meeting Mister Thomas'' (Barclay, 1963) * ''Eddy Louiss-Kenny Clarke-René Thomas'' (Cy, 1973) * ''TPL (Thomas Pelzer Limited)'' (Vogel, 1974) * ''Blue Note Paris 1964'' (Royal Jazz, 1990) * ''Guitar Genius'' (AMC, 1991) * ''Guitar Genius Vol. 2'' (AMC, 1992) * ''Hommage a...Rene Thomas'' (Timeless, 1994)

As sideman

Bud Powell Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell (September 27, 1924 – July 31, 1966) was an American jazz pianist and composer. A pioneer in the development of bebop and its associated contributions to jazz theory,Grove Powell's application of complex phrasing to ...

, ''Parisian Thoroughfares'' (1957-61) (Pablo, released 2003) *

Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American retired jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, Rollins recorded over sixt ...

, ''Sonny Rollins and the Big Brass'' (MetroJazz, 1958) *

Toshiko Akiyoshi is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. Akiyoshi received fourteen Grammy Award nominations and was the first woman to win Best Arranger and Composer awards in ''Down Beat'' magazine's annual Readers' Poll. In 1984, sh ...

, ''United Notions'' (MetroJazz, 1958) * Jack Sels, ''Jack Sels'' (1961) (Best Seller, released 1978) *

, ''Chet Is Back!'' (RCA Victor, 1962) * Bobby Jaspar, ''The Bobby Jaspar Quartet at Ronnie Scott's 1962'' (Mole, released 1986) *

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

, ''A Milanese Story'' (Atlantic, 1962) *

, ''Mr Blues Pour Flirter'' (Brunswick, 1963) *

, ''Hammond Tales'' (Philips, 1963) * Lou Bennett, ''Enfin!'' (RCA Victor, 1963) * Lou Bennett, ''Echoes and Rhythms of My Church'' (Bel Air, 1964) * Lou Bennett, ''Pentacostal Feeling'' (Philips, 1966) *

Daniel Humair Daniel Humair (born 23 May 1938 in Geneva, Switzerland) is a Swiss drummer, composer, and painter. He is widely renowned and became a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1986 and Officier in 1992. He has played with many jazz perf ...

, ''Surrounded 1964/87'' (Blue Flame, released 1987) *

, ''A Lucky Songbook in Europe'' (MPS, 1969) *

, ''Dynasty'' (Verve, 1971)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Rene 1926 births 1975 deaths Musicians from Liège Bebop guitarists Belgian jazz guitarists Belgian expatriates in Spain 20th-century guitarists Barclay Records artists Polydor Records artists RCA Records artists