Noal Cohen's Jazz History Website

Jazz History and Discography

Lucky Thompson Bibliography

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This is a selected bibliography of Eli “Lucky” Thompson listed alphabetically by author. For more information on Thompson, see his intro page on this website.

  • Atkins, Ronald. “Lucky Thompson In Britain,” Jazz Monthly, 8/6 (August 1962), 24.
  • Bernstein, Adam, “Versatile Jazz Tenor Saxophonist Eli ‘Lucky’ Thompson Dies at 81,” Washington Post, August 5, 2005.
  • Bjorn, Lars with Jim Gallert, Before Motown: A History of Jazz in Detroit 1920-1960, University of Michigan Press (2001), 81-83, 95-96.
  • Carr, Ian. Miles Davis. New York: William Morrow and Co., 1982, pp. 55–57.
  • Coady, Philip. “Remembering Lucky Thompson (1924–2005),” Earshot Jazz 21/9 (September 2005), 4–5, 18–19.
  • Cohen, Noal. Liner notes to Lucky Thompson New York City, 1964-65, Uptown UPCD 27.57/27.58, 2009.
  • Cohen, Noal and Chris Byars. “Lucky Thompson in Paris: The 1961 Candid Records Session,” Current Research in Jazz 2, 2010.
  • Cohen, Noal. “Lucky Thompson: Under-appreciated Titan of the Tenor Saxophone,” Jersey Jazz 51/6, June 2023, 12-15.
  • Cohen, Noal. Lucky Thompson Timeline.
  • Feather, Leonard and Ira Gitler. The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz, Oxford University Press, 1999, 644-645.
  • Franklin, Benjamin. An Encyclopedia of South Carolina Jazz & Blues Musicians, University of South Carolina Press, 2016, 717-731.
  • Gardner, Mark & Alan Bates. Liner notes to Lord, Lord, Am I Ever Gonna Know?, Candid CCD 79035, 1997.
  • Gardner, Mark. “Lucky Thompson in the Sixties,” Coda Magazine 9/1 (June 1969), 3–8.
  • Heckman, Don. “The Woodwinds of Change,” Down Beat 31/27 (October 8, 1964), 15–17.
  • Hentoff, Nat. “Lucky Thompson: In Which an Underrated Musician Talks Strongly About the Seamier Side of Jazz,” Down Beat 23/8 (April 4, 1956), 9.
  • Hentoff, Nat. At the Jazz Band Ball: Sixty Years On the Jazz Scene, Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2010, 111–112, 219–220.
  • Himmelstein, David. Liner notes to Lucky Strikes, Prestige LP 7365, December 1964.
  • Horricks, Raymond. “Lucky Thompson: A Jazz Musician Without a School,” Jazz Monthly 1/11 (January 1956), 6–8.
  • Jones, Max. “Lucky Thompson Is Still Fighting the Vultures,” Melody Maker, September 5, 1959, p. 10.
  • Jones, Max. Talking Jazz, New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1987, 72–78.
  • Korall, Burt. “Lucky’s Back In Town,” Down Beat 30/15 (July 4, 1963), pp. 16–17.
  • Kuhl, Christopher. “A Visit With ‘Lucky’ Thompson,” New Arts Review, December 1981, 13-16; Cadence 8, January 1982, 10-12.
  • Millstein, Gilbert. “In This Corner, At Long Last, Archie Moore!” New York Times Magazine, September 11, 1955, 26.
  • Morgenstern, Dan. “Recorded Jazz,” in The Oxford Companion to Jazz, New York: Oxford University Press, 2000, 783.
  • Morgenstern, Dan. Liner notes to Lucky Thompson Plays Jerome Kern and No More, Moodsville 39, April 1963.
  • Morgenstern, Dan. “Lucky Thompson Says Later for the Music Business,” Down Beat 33/1 (January 13, 1966), 11.
  • Powers, Will. “Lucky Thompson,” Coda Magazine, 11/10 (July 1974), 36–37.
  • Printup, Marcus. “The Insider: A Lucky Awakening,” Down Beat73/5 (May 2006), 22.
  • Pujol, Jordi. Liner notes to Lucky Thompson: Complete Parisian Small Group Sessions 1956-1959 Featuring Martial Solal, Fresh Sound FSR-CD 933 (2017).
  • Ratliff, Ben. “Lucky Thompson, Jazz Saxophonist, Is Dead at 81,” New York Times, August 5, 2005.
  • Ruff, Willie. A Call To Assembly, New York: Penguin Books, 1991, 368–369, 377.
  • Schoenberg, Loren. Liner notes to Lucky In Paris, HighNote HCD 7045, 1999.
  • Shull, Tad. “When Backward Comes Out Ahead: Lucky Thompson’s Phrasing and Improvisation,” Annual Review of Jazz Studies12 2002, (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2004), 63–83.
  • Watrous, Peter. “The Elusive Lucky Thompson,” Village Voice, June 26, 1984, 74.
  • Watson, Michael D. “Lucky Thompson: A Survey of His Work On Record, Part 1,” Jazz Journal International 44/4 (April 1991), 20–22.
  • Watson, Michael D. “Lucky Thompson: Michael D. Watson Concludes His Survey of Thompson’s Recorded Work,” Jazz Journal International 44/5 (May 1991), 14–15.
  • Wilmer, Valerie. “Lucky Thompson Talks To ‘Jazz Monthly’,” Jazz Monthly 8/7 (September 1962), 12–15.

Discographical Sources

  • Cohen, Noal. Online discography of Lucky Thompson.
  • Cohen, Noal. Lucky Thompson on European Radio and Television 1957-1962 Part 1, Discographical Forum, Issue 61, 2016, 3-8.
  • Cohen, Noal. Lucky Thompson on European Radio and Television 1957-1962 Part 2, Discographical Forum, Issue 62, 2016, 3-6.
  • Salemann, Dieter. Roots of Modern Jazz – The Be Bop Era Vol. 13: Solography, Discography, Band Routes, Engagements of Eli ‘Lucky’ Thompson 1943-1950, self-published, Berlin, Germany, 2001.
  • Weir, Bob. Lucky Thompson Discography, Names & Numbers, Almere, The Netherlands, 2010. (Unfortunately, Names & Numbers ceased publication in 2022.)
  • Williams, Tony. Lucky Thompson Discography, Part One, 1944-51, self-published, London, 1967. (A copy of this discography can be found at The Institute of Jazz Studies but you have to visit the Institute to access it – it cannot be viewed online).
  • Lucky Thompson Discography at Discogs.

Lucky Thompson Wikipedia Page