Malachi Thompson

Malachi Richard Thompson(August 21, 1949, in Princeton, Kentucky — July 16, 2006), was an American avant-garde jazz trumpet player. In addition to his own work as a bandleader, Thompson was known for his work in the brass ensemble led by fellow trumpeterLester Bowie.

Born inPrinceton, Kentucky,Malachi Thompson moved toChicagoas a child. He credited his interest in thetrumpetto hearingCount Basie's band at theRegal Theatrewhen 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 theAssociation for the Advancement of Creative Musicians(AACM), spending some time in the AACM big band.He performed and toured with theOperation BreadbasketBig Band, which was affiliated with theSouthern Christian Leadership Conference.

Thompson graduated fromGovernors State Universityin 1974 with a degree in music composition.

He worked with saxophonistsJoe Henderson,Jackie McLean,Frank Foster,andArchie Shepp,among other musicians, while living in New York City. Thompson formed his "Freebop" band in 1978, and eventually relocated toWashington, D.C.He also worked withLester Bowie's Hot Trumpets Repertory Company and formed Africa Brass, a group inspired by traditional New Orleans brass bands.

With a goal of preserving the Sutherland Theater on Chicago's South Side, he 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 fromT-cell lymphomaand had one year to live, Thompson claimed he was healed by radiation and reading about jazz. He died inChicago, Illinois,from a relapse of his cancer in 2006.

Discography

As leader

• The Seventh Son(RA, 1980)
• Legends and Heroes(RA, 1983)
• Spirit(Delmark, 1989)
• The Jaz Life(Delmark, 1992)
• Lift Every Voice(Delmark, 1993) with Africa Brass
• New Standards(Delmark, 1993)
• Buddy Bolden's Rag(Delmark, 1995) with Africa Brass featuringLester Bowie
• 47th Street(Delmark, 1997)
• Freebop Now!(Delmark, 1998)
• Rising Daystar(Delmark, 1999)
• Timeline(Delmark, 2000) recorded 1972–86
• Talking Horns(Delmark, 2001)
• Blue Jazz(Delmark, 2003)

As sideman

• Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy,Works(ECM)
• Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy,Twilight Dreams(Virgin)
• Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy,I Only Have Eyes for You(ECM)
• Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy,Avant Pop(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, 2004link to article

External links

• Obituary with discography
• Delmark Records web site
• Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians