26. September 2025
DER BRITISCHE JAZZ-, FOLK- UND ROCK-KONTRABASSIST DANNY THOMPSON IST GESTORBEN
Der am 4. April 1939 in Teignmouth (Devon) geborene britische Jazz-Kontrabassist, der mit einer Vielzahl bekannter Folk- und Rockmusik-Interpreten zusammengearbeitet hat, ist am 23. September 2025 in Rickmansworth (Hertfordshire) gestorben. Er war zunächst Mitglied bei Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated und bei der legendären Folkjazz-Band Pentangle. Daneben hatte er ein Trio mit Gitarrist John McLaughlin und dem Holzbläser Tony Roberts. Zusätzlich begann Thompson, auch als Session-Musiker für diverse Bands und Musiker zu arbeiten, darunter z.B. Donovan, The Incredible String Band, Tim Buckley, Davey Graham, Nick Drake, Michael Chapman, Harold McNair, Joe McDonald, Mary Hopkin, Rod Stewart, Stefan Grossman, John Martyn, Tom Paxton, Magna Charta, Sandy Denny und Ralph McTell, - sogar mit T. Rex. Nachdem sich Pentangle 1973 getrennt hatten, intensivierte er diese Arbeit; er begleitete weiterhin John Martyn, aber auch Donovan, Maddy Prior, Julie Felix, Bert Jansch, John Renbourn und Kate Bush. In den 1990ern begann er mit dem (nicht verwandten) Richard Thompson zu touren und nahm 1998 zusammen mit Peter Knight ein Album auf. Er arbeitete u.a. auch mit Kevin Ayers, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Billy Bragg, Stephan Eicher, Everything but the Girl, Peter Gabriel, Yusuf Islam und Toumani Diabaté, Tom Robinson, Talk Talk, The The, Hannes Wader, Loudon Wainwright III oder Paul Weller. (*)
Bild: Danny Thompson, 2008 – Foto: David Laws – Lizenz: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en – Datei: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Danny_Thompson.JPG
Danny Thompson †
It is with great sadness that we learnt of Danny Thompson’s death. Besides being an extraordinarily gifted musician and improviser, Danny was one of the most delightful human beings you could ever spend time with.
He loved life, people and music and only ever seemed motivated by his very generous nature. It’ll be a great loss to music and to all those who loved him dearly, of which I’m one of many.
Peter Gabriel
https://petergabriel.com/news/danny-thompson/
From Kate Bush to Pentangle to T-Rex, the late Danny Thompson’s musical brilliance knew no bounds
Who was Danny Thompson? Was he the man who brought jazz to British folk as a founder of Pentangle, as a collaborator with John Martyn, with Nick Drake, with June Tabor, the Incredible String Band and more? Was he the bringer of class to the mainstream, recording with Cliff Richard, Johnny Hates Jazz, Rod Stewart, T-Rex and others? Was he the elder adding gravitas to the recordings of younger pop experimentalists and formalists: ABC, Everything But the Girl, Graham Coxon, the The, David Sylvian, Kate Bush and Talk Talk?
Danny Thompson was all of those things because he was always Danny Thompson.
Michael Hann
Pentangle and John Martyn bassist Danny Thompson has died, aged 86
Danny Thompson, best-known as a member of Pentangle and as bass foil to the late John Martyn throughout the latter half of the 1970s, who also worked with Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Talk Talk and many more, has died aged 86, his publicist confirmed this afternoon.
In a brief statement, they said: «Legendary acoustic bass player Danny Thompson died peacefully yesterday at his home in Rickmansworth, UK.
«A musician who was both beloved and admired by everybody he worked with, his body of work is unparalleled in its quality and also in the incredibly varied number of musicians he worked with.
Jerry Ewing
Legendary Bassist Danny Thompson Has Died
A towering musician in his field, the bass player had a jazz background, playing with the likes of Tubby Hayes and Stan Tracey in the process. A formidable figure at Soho jazz sessions, Danny Thompson was drawn into the orbit of some adventurous folk musicians, taking up a role in Pentangle.
The group’s pioneering spirit melted together folk, blues, jazz and beyond, while Danny Thompson’s session work saw him play with Donovan, and appear onstage with Tim Buckley at London’s Royal Festival Hall.
A key part of Joe Boyd’s creative network of musicians, Danny Thompson played on Nick Drake’s ‘Five Leaves Left’ and ‘Bryter Layter’ albums, worked frequently on seminal material by Richard Thompson, before forming an incredible decade-long partnership with John Martyn.
Robin Murray
https://www.clashmusic.com/news/legendary-bassist-danny-thompson-has-died/
Danny Thompson: 04/04/1939 – 23/09/2025
Alyn Shipton remembers the beloved bassist who was known for his instantly recognizable tone and huge number collaborations with folk, jazz, blues and rock luminaries, who has died aged 86
https://www.jazzwise.com/news/article/danny-thompson-04-04-1939-23-09-2025
Le Bassiste Légendaire Danny Thompson est Décédé
Il a été annoncé aujourd’hui que le légendaire contrebassiste Danny Thompson est décédé à son domicile de Rickmansworth. Avec sa disparition, le monde musical perd l’un des meilleurs contrebassistes qui aient jamais existé. Thompson a joué sur des centaines de disques et a travaillé avec tout le monde, des légendes folk aux stars de la pop.
Norman Van Den Wildenberg
https://maxazine.fr/le-bassiste-legendaire-danny-thompson-est-decede/2025/09/24
È morto Danny Thompson, uno dei grandi del folk-rock inglese
Co-fondatore dei Pentangle, è stato uno dei musicisti che ha fatto conoscere il folk al pubblico rock negli anni ’60 e ’70, per poi diventare un contrabbassista richiestissimo ed eclettico.
Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZFG69SlhEbJJZoBEnujbPw
Pentangle – Light Flight (Songs From The Two Brewers 8th, May 1970)
Pentangle feat. Danny Thompson – Sally Go Round The Roses (Songs From The Two Brewers 8th, May 1970)
Ralph McTell with Danny Thompson – Sweet Mystery (The Old Grey Whistle Test, 20th January 1974)
Richard Thompson & Danny Thompson – The Ghost Of You Walks (Later With Jools Holland, 8th June 1996)
Danny Thompson feat. John Martyn & Kathy Mattea – May You Never (Transatlantic Sessions 1996)
The Blind Boys of Alabama – Run On For A Long Time (Live in New York 2001), featuring Danny Thompson
Danny Thompson – Musing Mingus (The Late Show, 5th March 1990)
Ketama, Toumani Diabate & Danny Thompson – Africa, 2018
Danny Thompson On Working With John Martyn
An Evening With Danny Thompson, 2013
‚Wotcher!‘ – The life and music of Danny Thompson – Mono Media Films, London, 2023
Mehr:
https://www.therealdannythompson.co.uk/
https://www.jazzwise.com/features/article/danny-thompson-bass
https://www.discogs.com/de/artist/65787-Danny-Thompson
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/danny-thompson-mn0001233067#biography
https://www.songwriter.co.uk/a21.html
https://www.imdb.com/de/name/nm1171288/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Thompson
(*) https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Thompson_(Musiker)
#DannyThompson #CHcultura @CHculturaCH ∆cultura cultura+
Kommentare von Daniel Leutenegger