Malachi Thompson
Encyclopedia
Malachi Richard Thompson (August 21, 1949, Princeton, Kentucky
— July 16, 2006), was an American avant-garde jazz trumpet
player.
as a child and credited his interest in the trumpet
to hearing Count Basie
's band at the Regal Theatre
when he was 11 years old. Thompson worked in the rhythm and blues scene on Chicago’s South Side as a teen. In 1968, he joined the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
(AACM), spending some time in the AACM big band. Thompson performed and toured with the Operation Breadbasket
Big Band, which was affiliated with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
.
Thompson worked with saxophonists Joe Henderson
, Jackie McLean
, Frank Foster
, and Archie Shepp
among other musicians while living in New York City. He formed his Freebop band in 1978, and eventually relocated to Washington, D.C.
Thompson also worked with Lester Bowie
's Hot Trumpets Repertory Company and formed Africa Brass, a group inspired by traditional New Orleans brass bands.
Thompson graduated from Governor's State University in 1974 with a degree in music composition.
With a goal of preserving the Sutherland Theater on Chicago's South Side, Thompson founded the Sutherland Community Arts Initiative, a non-profit corporation, in 1991. He also wrote incidental music for a play about the theater.
Informed in 1989 that he suffered from T-cell lymphoma
and had one year to live, Thompson claimed he was healed by radiation and reading about jazz. He died in Chicago, Illinois from a relapse of his cancer in 2006.
Princeton, Kentucky
Princeton is a city in Caldwell County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 6,329 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Caldwell County.-History:...
— July 16, 2006), was an American avant-garde jazz trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
player.
Biography
Malachi Thompson moved to ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
as a child and credited his interest in the trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
to hearing Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
's band at the Regal Theatre
Regal Theater, South Side (Chicago)
The Regal Theater, located in the heart of Bronzeville, was an important night club and music venue in Chicago.Part of the Balaban and Katz chain, the lavishly decorated venue, with plush carpeting and velvet drapes featured some of the most celebrated black entertainers in America.The Regal also...
when he was 11 years old. Thompson worked in the rhythm and blues scene on Chicago’s South Side as a teen. In 1968, he joined the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians is a non-profit organization, founded in Chicago, Illinois, United States, by pianist/composer Muhal Richard Abrams, pianist Jodie Christian, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran....
(AACM), spending some time in the AACM big band. Thompson performed and toured with the Operation Breadbasket
Operation Breadbasket
Operation Breadbasket was an organization dedicated to improving the economic conditions of black communities across the United States of America....
Big Band, which was affiliated with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is an African-American civil rights organization. SCLC was closely associated with its first president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...
.
Thompson worked with saxophonists Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than forty years Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent labels, including Blue Note.-Early life:From a very large family with five sisters and nine...
, Jackie McLean
Jackie McLean
John Lenwood McLean was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader and educator, born in New York City.-Biography:McLean's father, John Sr., played guitar in Tiny Bradshaw's orchestra...
, Frank Foster
Frank Foster (musician)
Frank Foster was an American tenor and soprano saxophonist, flautist, arranger, and composer. Foster collaborated frequently with Count Basie and worked as a bandleader from the early 1950s.-Biography:...
, and Archie Shepp
Archie Shepp
Archie Shepp is a prominent African-American jazz saxophonist. Shepp is best known for his passionately Afrocentric music of the late 1960s, which focused on highlighting the injustices faced by the African-Americans, as well as for his work with the New York Contemporary Five, Horace Parlan, and...
among other musicians while living in New York City. He formed his Freebop band in 1978, and eventually relocated to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Thompson also worked with Lester Bowie
Lester Bowie
Lester Bowie was an American jazz trumpet player and composer. He was a member of the AACM, and cofounded the Art Ensemble of Chicago.-Biography:...
's Hot Trumpets Repertory Company and formed Africa Brass, a group inspired by traditional New Orleans brass bands.
Thompson graduated from Governor's State University in 1974 with a degree in music composition.
With a goal of preserving the Sutherland Theater on Chicago's South Side, Thompson founded the Sutherland Community Arts Initiative, a non-profit corporation, in 1991. He also wrote incidental music for a play about the theater.
Informed in 1989 that he suffered from T-cell lymphoma
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...
and had one year to live, Thompson claimed he was healed by radiation and reading about jazz. He died in Chicago, Illinois from a relapse of his cancer in 2006.
As leader
- New Standards (Delmark RecordsDelmark RecordsDelmark Records is an independent American jazz and blues record label, based in Chicago since 1958. The label originated in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1953 when owner Bob Koester released a recording of the Windy City Six, a traditional jazz group, under the "Delmar" imprint.-History:Born in 1932 in...
) - Lift Every Voice (Delmark)
- The Jaz Life (Delmark)
- Spirit (Delmark)
- Timeline (Delmark)
- 47th Street (Delmark)
- Freebop Now! (Delmark)
- Rising Daystar (Delmark)
- Talking Horns (Delmark)
- Blue Jazz (Delmark)
- Legends and Heroes (RA)
- The Seventh Son (RA)
- Malachi Thompson/Africa Brass, Buddy Bolden's Rag (Delmark)
- Malachi Thompson/Africa Brass, No Smoking, Littering, Radio Playing (compilation) (NORU4)
As sideman
- Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy, Works (ECM)
- Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy, Twilight DreamsTwilight DreamsTwilight Dreams is an album by Lester Bowie recorded for the UK based Venture label and the third album by his "Brass Fantasy" group. It was released in 1987 and features performances by Bowie, Vincent Chancey, Frank Lacy, Steve Turre, Malachi Thompson, Rasul Siddik, Stanton Davis, Bob Stewart, and...
(Virgin) - Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy, I Only Have Eyes for YouI Only Have Eyes for You (album)I Only Have Eyes for You is the third album by Lester Bowie recorded for ECM and the debut album of his "Brass Fantasy" group. It was released in 1985 and features performances by Bowie, Vincent Chancey, Craig Harris, Steve Turre, Malachi Thompson, Stanton Davis, Bob Stewart and Phillip...
(ECM) - Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy, Avant PopAvant Pop (album)Avant Pop is the fourth album by Lester Bowie recorded for ECM and the second album by his "Brass Fantasy" group. It was released in 1986 and features performances by Bowie, Vincent Chancey, Frank Lacy, Rasul Siddik, Steve Turre, Malachi Thompson, Stanton Davis, Bob Stewart and Phillip...
(ECM) - Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, Ram's Run (Cadence)
- Shamek Farrah, La Dee La La (RA)
- Errol Parker, Tentet (Sahara)
- Archie Shepp, Attica Blues (Blue Marge)
- Mustafa, Polygamy (Fatima)
- Hubert Eaves, Esoteric Funk (Inner City)
- Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, Kwansa (Baystate)
- Roland Alexander, Live at the Axis (Kharma)
- Gil Scott-Heron, The Baron (Soundtrack) (Arista)
- Quincy Jones, Save the Children (Soundtrack) (Capitol)
Further reading
- Thompson, Malachi, "The Evolution of Jazz and the Survival of Our Democratic Society," All About Jazz, November 1, 2004 link to article