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| Malachi Thompson is dead Jazz trumpeter Malachi Thompson, one of the leading musicians on Chicago's experimental jazz scene, died from cancer on Sunday, July 16, at his home on the South Side of Chicago. He was only 56. Thompson was born in Princeton, Ky., and moved to Chicago with his family. Malachi Thompson joined the AACM in 1967 at the age of 17, absorbing the music of Muhal Richard Abrams, Henry Threadgill and Lester Bowie. He worked in diverse settings ranging from free jazz to R&B, freelancing with the Sam Wooding big band, Sam Rivers, Joe Henderson, Kalaparusha McIntryre, Jackie McLean, David Murray, and many others. He co-led Brass Proud (1975-80), was an important member of Lester Bowie's Hot Trumpeter Repertory Company, and later a member of Brass Fantasy. Since joining Delmark Records in 1989, he has been voted a "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition" in the 1993 and 1994 Down Beat International Critics Poll and was voted Chicago Tribune Man of the Year in 1996. He writes a historical jazz commentary column called "State of the Art" and performs with several groups including the huge jazz brass collective Africa Brass, the Freebop Band (Thompson on trumpet, Ari Brown on tenor sax, pianist Kirk Brown, bassist Harrison Bankhead, and drummer Leon Joyce) and Triad, which he calls his "experimental performance art group." write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |