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The multi-instrumentalist Don Thompson’s 2007 album Ask Me Later [CBC]
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Don Thompson—A Playlist
by Bob Hecht
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…..Considering the wealth of jazz talent spawned in the country of our neighbors to the north, perhaps their national anthem, “O Canada” would be more appropriate if changed to “Woah Canada!”
…..To mention just a few of the most outstanding jazz artists hailing from Canada are Oscar Peterson, Diana Krall, Ingrid Jensen, Lenny Breau, Terry Clarke, Sam Noto, Rob McConnell, Guido Basso, Ed Bickert, Neil Swainson, Dave Young, Sonny Greenwich and Reg Schwager. Many of these huge talents are not household names in the U.S., as Canadian musicians sometimes receive short shrift in the American jazz press.
…..One of the musicians who stands very tall in Canada’s plethora of jazz greats is the multi-instrumentalist Don Thompson. Best known as the bassist who has worked with Jim Hall, Junior Mance, Kenny Wheeler, John Handy, George Shearing, Paul Desmond and scores of others, Thompson is also a remarkable pianist and vibist. Desmond called him “a walking miracle.” His musical conception is profoundly beautiful—for example, his duet with vocalist Diana Panton on Irving Berlin’s “Reaching for the Moon” suggests to me the profundity of Casals.
…..This versatile artist taught himself to play bass, inspired early on by Ray Brown for his swinging bass lines (what bass player hasn’t been?) but his most important inspiration was Red Mitchell, for Red’s ability to play highly melodic solos. Thompson is all about melody. His bass solos are unlike anyone else’s, though his high level of melodicism recalls the work of Scott LaFaro and Michael Moore.
…..As an accompanist on all of his instruments, he is constantly listening and interacting. His bass virtuosity is such that, as he has put it, “It’s like you’re soloing all the time.” Yet he never overplays, and is always tastefully contributing to the greater musical good. He is also an accomplished composer (check out his compositional tribute to LaFaro, “For Scott LaFaro”) and arranger. Oh, and he’s a skilled recording engineer, as well as a revered educator.
…..The following playlist demonstrates some of the scope of his genius and versatility. The first 10 tracks feature Thompson the bassist. Tracks 11 through 15 show off his piano chops, tracks 16 through 18 feature Thompson the vibraphonist, and the last track demonstrates his arranging ability with a larger group built around a vocalist and a string quartet.
…..But this playlist merely scratches the surface of this jazz giant. A walking miracle, indeed…
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Bob Hecht frequently contributes his essays, photographs, interviews, playlists and personal stories to Jerry Jazz Musician. He has a long history of producing and hosting jazz radio programs; his former podcast series, The Joys of Jazz, was the 2019 Silver Medal winner in the New York Festivals Radio Awards.
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