Don Thompson

Donald Winston Thompson, OC (born 18 January 1940) is a Canadian jazz musician who plays bass, piano, and vibes. Thompson formed part of the Toronto Quartet of Paul Desmond during the mid seventies, and that effort produced two albums. Other personnel on those dates, mostly at Bourbon Street in Toronto, were Toronto guitarist Ed Bickert and drummer Jerry Fuller. Thompson has been a fixture on the Toronto jazz scene since the late 1960s when he moved there from British Columbia. Thompson played for a long time in Rob McConnell's Boss Brass.

Biography
Thompson was born 18 January 1940 Powell River, British Columbia, Canada.

He lived in Vancouver from 1960 to 1965, working as a freelance musician primarily on bass. He has appeared with jazz troupes led by Vancouver musicians such as Dave Robbins, Chris Gage and Fraser MacPherson, as well as leading his own musical groups. In addition to appearing regularly on CBC radio, he was also on television as a featured artist.

In 1965 he joined the John Handy Quintet and moved to San Francisco for a two-year stay. During that time the Handy Quintet performed extensively throughout the United States and recorded two albums for the Columbia label. One of these, John Handy live at the Monterey Jazz Festival, became one of the most popular jazz albums of the 1960s. While in San Francisco Thompson also worked with Frank Rosolino, Maynard Ferguson, Denny Zeitlin and George Duke.

He returned to Canada in 1967 and has been a resident of Toronto since 1969. In that year he joined Rob McConnell's BOSS BRASS as a percussionist, switching to bass in 1971 and later to piano (1987–1993). He was also a member of Moe Koffman's group from 1970 to 1979 as pianist or bassist, contributing arrangements and compositions and working as co-producer with Koffman on two albums, Museum Pieces and Looking Up. He also worked extensively with guitarists Ed Bickert, Lenny Breau and Sonny Greenwich while keeping busy with his own various projects.

As a member of the "house rhythm section" at Toronto's Bourbon Street Jazz Club he worked with Paul Desmond, Jim Hall, Milt Jackson, Art Farmer, James Moody, Zoot Sims, Clark Terry, Harry Edison, Frank Rosolino, Slide Hampton, Lee Konitz and Abbey Lincoln, and appeared at other venues with Sarah Vaughan, Red Rodney, Joe Henderson, Dewey Redman, Red Mitchell, Sheila Jordan and Kenny Wheeler.

He became a member of guitarist Jim Hall's trio in 1974, travelling to Europe and Japan as well as touring the United States and Canada. In 1982 he joined pianist George Shearing and stayed for a five-year period during which he appeared at virtually every major jazz club and festival in the United States. Their travels also included tours of Great Britain and two trips to Brazil.

In 1996 he was artist in residence at the Royal Academy of Music, London, England, and performed in a concert of all-Canadian music with fellow Canadians Kenny Wheeler and Hugh Fraser. He teaches regularly at the Banff Centre for the Performing Arts along with other major international musicians.

Thompson is currently working as a freelance musician, teacher, member of the band JMOG and as leader of his own quartet.

He is equally at home on vibes, piano, bass and drums, and is a sound engineer with his own home-studio.

Awards

 * 1979: Juno – Best Jazz album – duo with Ed Bickert
 * 1984: Juno – Best Jazz Album
 * 1993: Jazz Report – Vibraphonist of the Year
 * 1994: Jazz Report – Composer of the Year
 * 1994: Jazz Report – Vibraphonist of the Year
 * 1994: Socan – Original Jazz Composition
 * 1995: Jazz Report – Vibraphonist of the Year
 * 1996: Jazz Report – Vibraphonist of the Year
 * 1997: Jazz Report – Vibraphonist of the Year
 * 2006: Juno – Best Traditional Jazz Album
 * 2009: Order of Canada, Officer (awarded on 25 May 2009; invested on 3 September 2010)

As leader

 * Love Song for a Virgo Lady (Sackville)
 * ''Country Place	PM Records
 * Ed Bickert/Don Thompson (Sackville)
 * Don Thompson/Ed Bickert  (Sackville)
 * Days Gone By 	(Atlas Records)
 * Beautiful Friendship 	Concord CJ 243
 * Witchcraft	Justin Time
 * Circles 	Intercan
 * Bells 	Umbrella
 * Winter Mist 	Jazz Alliance
 * For Kenny Wheeler Sackville
 * Forgotten Memories 	Roadhouse

As co-leader

 * JMOG 	Sackville CD2 - 2031
 * Opus D'Amour 	Sackville CD2 - 3058

As sideman
with Jim Hall:
 * Jim Hall Live 	A&M Horizon SP 705
 * Commitment 	A&M Horizon SP 715
 * Jazz Impressions of Japan 	A&M GXU-1
 * Live in Tokyo 	Paddlewheel - GP3217
 * Circles 	Concord CJ 161
 * Live at Town Hall 	Musicmasters - 5050 2-C

With John Handy
 * Recorded Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival (Columbia, 1966)
 * The Second Album	Columbia CS 9367
 * Live at Yoshi's Nightspot 	Boulevard BLD 531 DCD

with Paul Desmond:
 * Like Someone in Love 	Telarchive CD 83319

with Jay McShann:
 * Man from Muskogee 	Sackville SKCD2-3005
 * Tuxedo Junction 	Sackville 3025
 * Just a Lucky So and So 	Sackville 3035
 * Swingmatism 	Sackville CD2-3046

with Buddy Tate:
 * The Ballad Artistry 	Sackville CD2-3034
 * Saturday Night Function (Sackville All Stars) 	Sackville SKCD2-3028

with Frank Rosolino:
 * Thinking of You 	Sackville 2014

with George Shearing:
 * Live at the Café Carlyle 	Concord CCD-4246
 * George Shearing/Barry Tuckwell 	Concord CCD-42010

with Mel Tormé:
 * A Night at Charlies 	Concord CJ 248
 * Top Drawer 	Concord CJ 219

with Rob McConnell & the Boss Brass:
 * Big Band Jazz 	Umbrella UMB CD-4
 * Again 	Umbrella UMB CD-12
 * Present Perfect 	MPS 0068 249
 * Tribute 	Pausa 7106
 * Live in Digital 	SeaBreeze CD-SB-106
 * The Brass is Back 	Concord CCD-4458
 * Brassy and Sassy 	Concord CCD-4508
 * Our 25th Year 	Concord CCD-4559

with Sonny Greenwich:
 * The Old Man and the Child 	Sackville C2002
 * Sun Song 	CBC Transcription RCI 399
 * Evol-lution Love's Reverse 	PM PMR 016

with Pat LaBarbera:
 * Pass it On 	PM PMR 009
 * Necessary Evil 	CBC Transcription 478

with Emily Remler:
 * Take Two 	Concord CCD 4159

with Dave Liebman:
 * Sweet Fury BeBop to Now 	BBN 1002

with Bill King:
 * The Jazz Report All Stars	Radioland RA CD 10001

with Moe Koffman:
 * Solar Explorations 	GRT 9230-1050
 * Museum Pieces 	GRT 9230-1072
 * Master Sessions 	GRT 9230-1041

with Rob McConnell Trio:
 * Three for the Road 	Concord CCD-4765-2

with Diana Panton
 * ...Yesterday Perhaps (2005),
 * If The Moon Turns Green (2007),
 * Pink (2009)
 * To Brazil With Love (2011)
 * Christmas Kiss (2012)