Lucky Thompson | |
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![]() Lucky Thompson at the Three Deuces, New York, 1947 Photo: William P. Gottlieb | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Eli Thompson |
Born | Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. | June 16, 1924
Origin | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
Died | July 30, 2005 Seattle, Washington, U.S. | (aged 81)
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation | Musician |
Instruments |
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Years active | 1942–1970s |
Eli "Lucky" Thompson (June 16, 1924 – July 30, 2005)[1] was an American jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist whose playing combined elements of swing and bebop.[2] Although John Coltrane usually receives the most credit for bringing the soprano saxophone out of obsolescence in the early 1960s, Thompson (along with Steve Lacy) embraced the instrument earlier than Coltrane.[3][4]