"It's Thompson's mature
melodies and arrangements that give the musicians the room to create. At
times, there is a "studied" feel that creeps into the themes
but the musicians move the pieces gracefully into open spaces. The "faster"
cuts have a hard-bop feel, with little twists and turns built in to pique
the interest of both the musician and listener. Vern Thompson's music is
evocative, often rich with emotion and melody and listeners who like Jazz
that moves through the mainstream with the ability to surprise should check
this out."
-
Richard B. Kamins
Cadence (The review of Jazz and Blues: Creative
Improvised Music)
Vol. 23 No.4 April 1997
".....A set of impressive
songs....Good new players are rare but hotshot composers like Thompson
are ten times less likely to surface."
- Dave McElfresh
Jazz Now Magazine
March 1997
Nearly every jazz poll contains
a "talent deserving wider recognition" category. Among bay area
musicians, Vern Thompson is clearly a member of that category. Vern has
been sharpening his considerable compositional skills for over 20 years,
and two CD's of his original recordings, "Passions of the Heart"
and " Sea of Dreams," bear testament to his melodic and highly
original conception. Thompson clearly is not afraid of challenging chord
changes and intricate melodies: Woody Shaw and Joe Henderson's influences
suffuse many of the tracks on both albums. Where "Passions of the
Heart" tends toward less complex stylings, "Sea of Dreams"
effectively blends the angular melodic lines and altered chordal structures
of "Ibo" with the arrestingly beautiful harmonies of the Jobim-influenced
"Ondas Bonitas". In a refreshing departure from the tendency
towards rehashing standard jazz forms, Thompson speaks in a clear and unique
voice. These recordings are gems, and the bay area should be proud to claim
Vern Thompson as one of its own.
- Jerome Matthews
Bay Jazz.Com
"How odd that Thompson's
presence as a player on his own disc is surprisingly understated. The composer/trumpeter
damn near lurks in the shadows throughout this collection of impressive,
mood evoking pieces that furrow a Jazz groove of heady, ultra confident,
hard-bop-influenced playing as classy as Ellington's stuff. Thompson's
Jazz flawlessly presents musical dialogues so thick and intense that the
listener feels blessed to be privy to interactions that will offer even
greater payoffs through future replays. (Keith) Fiddemont's visceral input
is particularly noteworthy, though the interplay of every musician is so
tight one wonders if the band hasn't long ago established some seriously
deep roots. Do they all live in a commune together? Is that how they sound
like they're effortlessly tapping into a single mindset? Lots of bang for
the buck to be found here, and much regal soloing that does far better
than most outings in presenting Jazz as American classical music."
- Dave McElfresh
Jazz Now Magazine
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Vern
Thompson presently resides in Richmond, CA. You can reach him for correspondence,
interviews and/or to purchase the CDs "Convergence",
"Sea of Dreams" and "Passions
Of The Heart" at:
P.O.
Box 20833
El Sobrante, CA
94820-0833
(510)223-8891.
E-Mail vtho@aol.com
The
price for shipping and handling is $16.00 per copy. MONEY ORDER OR CASHIER
CHECK ONLY.
You can also order CDs from
CD Baby.
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