When the names of great tenor saxophonists are tossed around, the chain of succession generally runs like this: Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Lester Young, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane. All, of course, were reed titans, and Sonny still is. A half-step below this esteemed group is a second tier of greats that includes Don Byas, Wardell Gray, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Frank Wess, Frank Foster, Hank Mobley, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Wayne Shorter. Typically left out is Lucky Thompson [pictured], who
was an exceptional musician in every way. Fortunately, he hasn't been completely forgotten. Saxophonist Chris Byars has just released Lucky Strikes Again (Steeplechase), a superb album on which his octet covers 10 Thompson compositions and arrangements.
In an age when there was no shortage of saxophone kings, Thompson (1924-2005) managed to carve out a place for himself. He could sight read music brilliantly, he could blow soft and strong, he could compose and he could arrange. In the '40s, Thompson's many talents always landed him in the most challenging orchestras. The list includes bands led by Count Basie, Benny Carter, Boyd Raeburn, Ralph Burns, Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker.
Lucky's compositions, like those by Tadd Dameron, were sensual and aggressive. They offered fresh modern voicings as well as powerful, exciting builds and sighing resolutions. His Lucky Thompson Featuring Oscar Pettiford from 1956 (later issued on Impulse as Tricotism) is a perfect example of Thompson's sophisticated touch. The same goes for his arrangements for the Oscar Pettiford Orchestra albums of the same year.
Like Thompson, Chris Byars never approaches projects halfway. Some years back, Byars had heard an NDR Jazz Workshop radio concert by Thompson in Hamburg, Germany from 1961. For the broadcast, Thompson had arranged his songs for an octet.
When Byars [pictured] was unable to locate a score or parts for the Thompson arrangements, he painstakingly transcribed Old Reliable, Notorious Love, Two Steps Out, Down the Stretch, Could I Meet you Later? and Another Whirl.
As for Passionately Yours and Munsoon, Thompson had recorded those with a quartet in 1965 and 1973, respectively. So Byars wrote charts that expended those dates for an octet. Just One More Chance is a standard by Arthur Johnson that Thompson had recorded in 1947 on his first leadership session. The date featured Neal Hefti, Benny Carter, Bob Lawson, Dodo Marmarosa, Barney Kessel, Red Callender and Lee Young.
Two more Lucky-like tracks were added—Tiptop by the octet's baritone saxophonist Mark Lopeman and Byars' own Minik Koosh ("Little Bird" in Turkish). As Byars says in Mark Gardner's liner notes for the CD: "I knew there would be only one shot for me at the Lucky Thompson legacy, and this was it."
On Lucky Strikes Again, Byars not only brings fresh life and excitement to Thompson's originals but also heroically rescues Thompson's octet arrangements from obscurity. But Byars succeeds here in another way: He has revived interest in Thompson, a musician who died in near obscurity (go here). I plan to revisit many of my Thompson albums as a result of this CD. I think many Byars fans will do the same.
JazzWax tracks: Lucky Strikes Again: Chris Byars and His Octet Plays the Music of Lucky Thompson is available at iTunes and here.
JazzWax clip: Here's Lucky Thompson in Paris in 1957 playing I'll Remember April with bassist Pierre Michelot, drummer Kenny Clarke and pianist Martial Solal...
the "A half-step below this esteemed group is a second tier of greats" must include, from my point of view, chu berry and johnny griffin too ( and maybe many others...
Posted by: jp gelbon | May 10, 2011 at 03:35 AM
Sounds like a great record, and it's good to see Thompson getting more and more attention. Among the other who deserve props for bringing Thompson into the limelight is Michael Blake, whose fantastic "The World Awakes: A Tribute to Eli 'Lucky' Thompson" came out on the Danish Stunt label in 2007.
Posted by: Michael E. | May 10, 2011 at 06:41 PM
I'd certainly agree about Lucky (and those two albums especially) as well as all of the the other players on the list. However in an art predicated on personal expression, the whole idea of ranking players seems suspect. If the main criteria is innovation, then Hawkins and Trane are clearly at the top of the heap - but as much as I love those guys, I derive as much pleasure from listening to Hank or Zoot. And then there's Harold Land, Junior Cook, James Clay, Warne Marsh, George Coleman...the list goes on!
Posted by: David | May 10, 2011 at 10:14 PM
A tremdous talent. Thank you Marc for taking the time to pay tribute to Lucky. Check Lucky out on the Miles Davis "All Stars" recording. He's on "Walkin'" and "Blue 'n' Boogie".
Posted by: Mike Milner | May 13, 2011 at 07:37 PM