Barbara Thompson
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Barbara Thompson
- Genres: Jazz
Biography
As both bandleader and collaborator, British saxophonist and flutist Barbara Thompson has for decades been a key contributor to cutting-edge jazz and jazz-rock ensembles based in her home country as well as continental Europe. With a classical music education at the Royal College of Music, Thompson was nevertheless attracted to the world of jazz, joining Neil Ardley’s New Jazz Orchestra in the mid-‘60s, where she met Colosseum drummer Jon Hiseman, whom she married in 1967. (Thompson has also performed and recorded with Colosseum on occasion, and she became a permanent member of the group in 2004.) During the 1970s, Thompson joined the United Jazz + Rock Ensemble (a ten-piece band also featuring Wolfgang Dauner, Ian Carr, Kenny Wheeler, Albert Mangelsdorff, Charlie Mariano, and Hiseman) and formed her own jazz-rock outfit, Paraphernalia, as well as a Latin-flavored ensemble, Jubiaba.Thompson’s recordings have run the gamut from jazz-rock fusion and modern creative jazz to world and folk musics and even modern classical, and she has also composed music for theater productions (beginning a working relationship with Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1978) and for film and television soundtracks. In 1996 Thompson was awarded the rank of MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for services to music. Thompson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1997, but continued to record and tour into the new millennium, while devoting much of her energies to composing. Her albums during the 2000s have included two releases on Intuition, Barbara Thompson and Friends' In the Eye of a Storm (2003) and Paraphernalia’s Never Say Goodbye (2007). ~ Dave Lynch, Rovi
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Barbara Thompson
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Barbara Thompson (musician)
| Barbara Gracey Thompson | |
|---|---|
 Barbara Thompson in 2010 |
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| Background information | |
| Born | 27 July 1944 Oxford |
Barbara Gracey Thompson MBE (born 27 July 1944, Oxford) is an English jazz saxophonist, flautist and composer. She studied clarinet, flute, piano and classical composition at the Royal College of Music, but the music of Duke Ellington and John Coltrane made her shift her interests to jazz and saxophone. Since 1967, she has been married to drummer Jon Hiseman of Colosseum.[1]
Around 1970, she was part of Neil Ardley's New Jazz Orchestra[2][3] and appeared on albums by Colosseum.[4] Starting in 1975, she was involved in the foundation of three bands:
- the United Jazz and Rock Ensemble, a 'band of bandleaders' with Wolfgang Dauner (p), Volker Kriegel (g), Albert Mangelsdorff (tb), Eberhard Weber (b), Ian Carr (tp), Charlie Mariano (sax), Ack van Rooyen (tp) and Jon Hiseman (dr).[5][6]
- Barbara Thompson’s Jubiaba (9 piece Latin/Rock band) including Peter Lemer, Roy Babbington, Henry Lowther, Ian Hamer, Derek Wadsworth, Trevor Tomkins, Bill Le Sage, Glyn Thomas.[1][7]
- Barbara Thompson’s Paraphernalia, her current working band with Peter Lemer (p), Billy Thompson (v) [1], Dave Ball (b) [2] and Jon Hiseman on drums.[5]
She was awarded the MBE in 1996 for services to music. Due to Parkinson's disease diagnosed in 1997, she retired as an active saxophonist in 2001 with a farewell tour.[5] After a period of working as a composer exclusively, she returned to stage in 2004 to replace the unwell Dick Heckstall-Smith during Colosseum's "Tomorrow's Blues" tour, and in 2005 she performed live with Paraphernalia in their "Never Say Goodbye" tour. Since 2004 she has been a permanent member of Colosseum.
She cooperated closely with Andrew Lloyd-Webber for musicals[5] like Cats and Starlight Express and his requiem. She wrote several classical compositions, music for movies and TV, a musical of her own and songs for the United Jazz and Rock Ensemble, Barbara Thompson’s Paraphernalia and her big band Moving Parts.
Her playing, if not her name, will be familiar to a wider audience, from her playing the incidental music in the popular ITV police series A Touch of Frost starring David Jason. She also played flute on Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds.
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Family
Since 1967, Thompson has been married to drummer Jon Hiseman. Their son Marcus was born in 1972, and their daughter Anna (now known as singer/songwriter Ana Gracey [3]) in 1975.
Discography
- The Man Who Took The Valise Off The Floor Of Grand Central Station At Noon The She Trinity 1966
- Angle Howard Riley Trio 1968
- Valentyne Suite Colosseum 1969
- Daughter of Time Pop Chronik Colosseum 1970
- Michael Gibbs Michael Gibbs 1970
- Little Big Band Keef Hartley Band 1971
- The Beginning – Vol. 6: Keef Hartley Band Keef Hartley Band 1973
- Saxophone on The Roaring Silence by Manfred Mann's Earth Band 1976
- Kaleidoscope Of Rainbows Neil Ardley 1976
- Live Im Schuetzenhaus United Jazz and Rock Ensemble 1977
- NDR Jazzworkshop '77 Various Artists 1977
- Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 1978 (Roy Babbington, Harold Fisher, Colin Dudman) MCA MCF 2852
- Barbara Thompson's Jubiaba Barbara Thompson 1978
- Variations Lloyd Webber, Andrew 1978
- Harmony of the Spheres Neil Ardley 1978
- Teamwork United Jazz and Rock Ensemble 1978
- Wilde Tales Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 1979
- Tell Me On A Sunday Marti Webb 1979
- The Break Even Point United Jazz and Rock Ensemble 1979
- Live In Concert Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 1980
- Chance Manfred Mann's Earth Band 1980
- Ghosts Barbara Thompson/Rod Argent 1981
- Cats Andrew Lloyd Webber 1981
- Live in Berlin United Jazz and Rock Ensemble 1981
- Zwischenbilanz-Das Beste aus den Jahren 1977–1981 United Jazz and Rock Ensemble 1981
- Mother Earth Barbara Thompson 1982
- Ghosts Barabara Thompson/Rod Argent 1982
- Cool Cat Jeff And Friends Wohlgenannt 1983
- Requiem Andrew Lloyd Webber 1983
- Pure Fantasy Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 1984
- United Live Opus sechs United Jazz and Rock Ensemble 1984
- Frauen-Power Various Artists 1985
- Shadow Show Barbara Thompson/Rod Argent 1985
- Live im Berliner Metropol-Theater Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 1985
- Heavenly Bodies Barbara Thompson 1986
- Ganz schoen heiss, Man! About Time Too! United Jazz and Rock Ensemble 1986
- Highlights II United Jazz and Rock Ensemble 1987
- A Cry From The Heart Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 1988
- Songs From The Center Of The Earth Barbara Thompson 1990
- Perspective '92 Various Artists 1991
- Breathless Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 1991
- Round Seven United Jazz and Rock Ensemble 1992
- Everlasting Flame Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 1993
- Barbara Song Barbara Thompson and the Medici String Quartet 1995
- Lady Saxophone Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 1995
- Die Neunte von United United Jazz and Rock Ensemble 1996
- Women's Music From Celestial Harmonies Various Artists 1996
- Shifting Sands Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 1998
- The Sound Inside / Music And Architecture Various Artists 1998
- United Jazz and Rock Ensemble 1999
- Thompson's Tangos and other soft Dances Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 2000
- Cuff Clout Kate and Mike Westbrook 2001
- In the Eye of a Storm Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 2003
- Never Say Goodbye Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 2005
References
- ^ a b Barbara Thompson biography at www.temple-music.com. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
- ^ Neil Ardley at Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
- ^ New Jazz Orchestra: Camden '70 – credits at Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
- ^ Barbara Thompson – credits at Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
- ^ a b c d Mathieson, Kenny (2001-04). "British Beat: Saxophonist Barbara Thompson". All About Jazz. http://www.allaboutjazz.com/articles/brit0401.htm. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
- ^ United Jazz + Rock Ensemble at Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
- ^ Jubiaba – credits at Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
External links
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Mentioned in
The Soul Alone: Art of the Solo
(1996 Album by Various Artists)
The Deltairs
(Rhythm & Blues Band)
The Invitation: Saxophonquartette des 20. jahrhunderts [Hybrid SACD]
(Classical Album)
Neil Ardley
(Jazz Artist, '60s, '70s)
The United Jazz + Rock Ensemble
(Jazz Band, '70s, '80s)
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