Eddie Thompson (musician)

Edgar Charles Thompson, known professionally as Eddie Thompson (31 May 1925 – 6 November 1986) was a British jazz pianist.[1]

Eddie Thompson
Birth name	Edgar Charles Thompson
Born	31 May 1925 London, England
Died	6 November 1986 (aged 61) London, England
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Jazz Pianist
Instruments	Piano
Years active	1947-1986

Biography

Thompson was born blind in London, England.[1] After studying at the same school for the blind as George Shearing, he recorded with Victor Feldman in the late 1940s and also with the Carlo Krahmer Band at the Paris Jazz Fair in 1949.[1]

In the 1950s he worked with Tony Crombie (making records with Tony under his own name), Vic Ash, Freddy Randall and Tommy Whittle and was house pianist at Ronnie Scott’s from 1959 until 1960.[1] From 1962 to 1972, he lived and worked in the US at Hickory House, a well-known jazz club (started up in 1933) at 52nd Street, Manhattan, New York.[1] He led his own trio featuring Len Skeat and Martin Drew, which recorded an album with Spike Robinson.[1] Thompson also formed a duo with Roger Kellaway. Thompson was considered by many to be a 'dazzlingly inventive player' during his early recording career.

Thompson was recorded in the early 1980s by Hep Records, including Memories of You (1983).

He was known to have used the underground to get to the clubs in London. He had a lifelong smoking habit which caused him to develop emphysema which contributed to his early death in London in November 1986, at the age of 61. At the time of his death he was noted as being at "the height of his powers" as well as having a considerable musical repertoire.[1][2]

References

1. Colin Larkin, ed. (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 440/1. ISBN 1-85227-937-0.
2. Eddie Thompson Biography www.allmusic.com Retrieved 25 May 2020.

Bibliography

• The Rough Guide to Jazz, Ian Carr, Digby Fairweather, Brian Priestley, Charles Alexander - 2004, ISBN 9781843532569