For those unaware, this new 4CD collection brings together eight of American jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist Lucky Thompson’s finest original albums from the period 1956-1965.

Celebrating the great man’s music during what were surely his glory years, it forms both a superb introduction for those new to his work and a welcome reminder of his remarkable talent and inventiveness for the rest of us.

“…I feel I have only scratched the surface of what I know I am capable of doing.” These words were uttered by saxophonist Eli “Lucky” Thompson on March 20th, 1968 and seem incredible in view of both the quality and quantity of the music he had produced to that point. One wonders what goals and directions he had in mind but sadly, by this time his career as a performing musician was largely over and we can only speculate as to what might have been.

Thompson has been described as enigmatic, elusive and underrated but there is no disputing his brilliance, originality and importance in the evolution of modern jazz. During his three decades on the international jazz scene, he worked and recorded with just about every giant: Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Kenton, Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus and Thelonious Monk to name just a few. He transcended stylistic and geographical barriers playing in a wide variety of settings on the East and West Coasts of the U.S. and for extended periods in Europe.

Ironically, Thompson appears on some of the seminal recordings of bebop and its successor, hard bop yet was not really a “modernist” in the sense that word was used in the 1940s and 1950s. Eschewing the direct influences of Charlie Parker and Lester Young who had provided the stylistic framework for most of the post-swing era saxophonists, Thompson instead drew on Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster and Don Byas for his inspiration, updating those sources harmonically and rhythmically to create a unique sound and conception.

His solos on tenor saxophone are compositionally assembled and emotionally evocative. When he enters, one is seduced by the sheer elegance and power of his statements into listening attentively. In the late 1950s, he added the soprano saxophone which instrument he personalized in a manner quite different from that employed contemporaneously by the much higher profile John Coltrane.

Disc 1:
Tom-Kattin’ Old Reliable A Lady’s Vanity Translation Tricrotism Bo-Bi My Boy Body And Soul OP Meets LT N R #2 Once There Was Dancing Sunbeam N R #1 Little Tenderfoot The Plain But The Simple Truth Mister Man Good Luck

Disc 2:
Fascinating Blues I Should Care One For The Boys And Us Home Free Bluebird Blues Lullaby Of The Leaves Easy Going Let’s Try Again Stewin’ Up A Wig I Want A Little Girl Paris Blues Up Above My Head Minor Blues Sweet Georgia Brown How Long Blues Lucky T Embassy Boogie

Disc 3:
How About You? Midnight Sun Pennies From Heaven Solitude Have You Met Miss Jones? We’ll Be Together Again Soul Food Tea For Two O.W. Brother Bob Lord, Lord, Am I Ever Gonna Know? Love And Respect Say That to Say This Choose Your Own Beautiful Tuesday Warm Inside Our Shared Blessings Scratching The Surface

Disc 4:
In A Sentimental Mood Fly With The Wind Mid-Nite Oil Reminiscent Mumba Neua I Forgot To Remember Prey-Loot Invitation Happy Days Are Here Again Safari Cry Me A River You Don’t Know What Love Is People As Time Goes By

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