Biography
Sir Charles Thompson earned his refined moniker as one of the rare swing-era players who executed a fluid, enthusiastic shift into bop exactly when that upheaval emerged. Light-fingered and economical, his piano work carried a playful, inventive character rooted in the Basie lineage yet fully adapted to bop conventions, and he applied the same approach with equal success on organ. Violin served as his initial instrument until piano claimed his attention during adolescence, after which he performed with Midwest territory bands throughout the late 1930s. A short tenure with Lionel Hampton in 1940 gave way to freelance work with smaller ensembles and arranging assignments for Count Basie, Hampton again, Fletcher Henderson, Jimmy Dorsey, and additional orchestras. While active in New York’s 52nd Street venues during World War II, he absorbed the earliest stirrings of bop. Between 1944 and 1945 he performed with the Coleman Hawkins/Howard McGhee ensemble, traveling to Hollywood to cut several strong swing-to-bop sides for Capitol—later compiled on Hollywood Stampede—and to record his buoyant “Ladies’ Lullaby” for Asch. By then Thompson had so completely internalized bop’s language and spirit that he composed “Robbins’ Nest,” a defining classic of the style that became a hit for his subsequent employer Illinois Jacquet and prompted Gil Evans to fashion a memorable, innovative arrangement for Claude Thornhill in 1947. During the 1950s he cut several small-group sessions for Vanguard plus two further albums for Columbia in 1959 and 1960, appeared as sideman with Buck Clayton and Jimmy Rushing, and otherwise concentrated on freelance organ work. In the 1960s he led small groups across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico while also visiting Europe alongside Clayton. After a period of poor health he resumed performing in 1975. His formative bop recordings for Apollo, some featuring Hawkins and Charlie Parker, appear on the Delmark reissue Takin’ Off.
Albums
