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Danny Thompson
FYI
Obituaries: Famed English Bassist Danny Thompson, At The Gates Frontman Tomas Lindberg
This week we also acknowledge the passing of Scottish DJ-producer JD Twitch.
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Danny (Daniel Henry Edward) Thompson, an English bassist best known for his work in Pentangle and with Richard Thompson and John Martyn, died on Sept. 23, at age 86.
A multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist, Thompson compiled a vast discography that included recording work with artists as diverse as Kate Bush, Talk Talk, Cliff Richard, Rod Stewart, T. Rex, ABC, Everything But the Girl, Graham Coxon, The The, David Sylvian and many more.
In an extensive obituary, The Guardian noted that "At his core, Thompson was simply and irreducibly himself — that's why collaborators sought him out. They didn't want a generic bassist locking into basic rhythms on an electric axe; they craved the essence of Danny Thompson. And he delivered something unparalleled: a performer who treated the double bass like a starring soloist, always more than a mere supporter, never just a backup player. No matter the ensemble or the genre, his voice rang through unmistakably his own."
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Born in Devon, Thompson went to school in London, learning guitar, mandolin, trumpet and trombone before settling on the upright bass as his preferred instrument of choice. He reportedly made his first bass from a tea chest at age 13, using stolen piano wire for strings and fitting a hinged neck so he could fold it to catch the bus.
By 16 he was playing in Soho clubs, and after his two years’ national service he went on tour playing electric bass for Roy Orbison – the only time he ever played electric bass.
Thompson's first recording was with the famed blues group, Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated, on the album Red Hot in 1964. He remained in that band for four years, then led a trio that included guitarist John McLaughlin, and was a founding member of the British folk-jazz band Pentangle.
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That group included folk guitar virtuosos Bert Jansch and John Renbourn and vocalist Jacqui McShee, and received great critical acclaim. Thompson was a member throughout its first incarnation (1967–1973) and in some of its subsequent versions and reunions. The Guardian states that "What Pentangle and Fairport Convention did with folk songs was revolutionary: they returned them to their original state of being ever-evolving. And by crossing folk with jazz and with psychedelia and with blues, Pentangle provided a version for their own times, and one that still sounds remarkable today."
Between 1987 and 2012, Thompson also recorded six solo albums, beginning with Whatever, but it was his work with others that cemented his reputation as a stellar and original musician. He worked extensively with noted Scottish vocalist/guitarist John Martyn, and, after a career downturn in the late '70s attributable to alcoholism, he bounced back to became one of the most in-demand session bassists around.
Notable credits included playing on The Dreaming and Hounds of Love for Kate Bush. In an interview with Uncut, Bush explained that "You never just worked with Danny. You also worked with his double bass he called Victoria. The two of them were joined at the hip and together they were the most fascinating storytellers – earthy and of the wild."
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Thompson also worked extensively with English folk-rock great Richard Thompson, playing on 13 of his albums, and last year he performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London, as part of Richard Thompson's 75th birthday celebration.
Other musical legends recruiting Thompson for some of their recordings included Peter Gabriel, Nick Drake, Loudon Wainwright 111, Tim Buckley and Marianne Faithfull, as well as Canadian world music star Loreena McKennitt (on The Book of Secrets).
Upon news of his death, many of Thompson's collaborators and musical peers paid affectionate tribute on social media.
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Famed producer Tony Visconti (David Bowie) posted this on Facebook: "I just heard the sad news that one of my dearest musical mates, Danny Thompson, has passed. He was one of the best upright bass players I've ever worked with. I worked with him on a Bert Jansch album that he produced, me playing electric bass and writing string parts. He played on Mary Hopkin's Earth Song Ocean Song album, Tom Paxton's Peace Will Come album and several Ralph McTell albums that I produced.
"Danny was also a great friend. Back in the day we used to drink Real Ale [look it up] together in pubs that served it. We were good friends who hung out together regardless of music work. His sense of humour was off the charts. Even though he was a first call bassist for recording sessions, he was actually a bit insecure about his status. Other musos would fall over to work with him, but Danny didn't think he was all that good, because he was a humble man, a charming man, a salt of the earth man, and, man, he could make that bass of his sing! Rest In Peace, my dear wonderful Mate."
Peter Gabriel, on Facebook: "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."
Some Canadian artists also paid homage. Veteran folk singer-songwriter Stephen Fearing (Blackie and the Rodeo Kings) posted this on Facebook: "Danny Thompson, a giant of a player, lovely man and a true 'Diamond Geezer.' I once cadged a ride with him from Newcastle to London in the middle of the night. He regaled me with stories of working with John Martyn and Pentangle… larger than life. Safe travels."
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Toronto musician and visual artist Kurt Swinghammer, also on Facebook: "Danny Thompson is the one person who shows up on so many of my favourite albums. The unifying glue of so much great and diverse music. The very best wanted to work him. Talk Talk, John Martyn, Bert Jansch, Nick Drake, Kate Bush, Richard Thomson, David Sylvian, T.Rex and so many others. His full resume is incredible and full of unexpected surprises. Such a brilliant musician and a joy to witness performing. R.I.P."
JD Twitch (Keith McIvor), an eclectic and influential Scottish DJ and producer, died on Sept. 19, at age 57, after a short illness.
A Guardian obituary noted that "By putting techno, punk, funk and more on an even footing, the DJ fearlessly united factions in underground music. In life and in death, Twitch’s aura was well earned; as Optimo (Espacio), with his DJ partner JG Wilkes, Twitch’s irreverent humour, political action and renegade attitude shifted the axis of good taste on to a broader, wilder plain and inspired generations of clubbers."
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In the early 1990s, Twitch co-founded the Edinburgh club night Pure. With Jeff Mills’ first UK gig, he effectively brought Detroit to Scotland, side-stepping the decade’s Madchester obsession in favour of a weirder palette of acid house and techno. When Pure ran its course, Twitch switched to Glasgow and formed Optimo (Espacio) with Wilkes in 1997 – and having had a decade of techno dominance, they decided they had other ideas.
"Twitch roared through blends like a Mustang through a hot desert, fearless and determined," described The Guardian. Typical sets could include Blondie, ESG, Parliament-Funkadelic, Nitzer Ebb and Donna Summer.
Artists benefiting from Twitch's support included Franz Ferdinand and The Rapture. Known as a sincere champion of the underdog. Twitch campaigned for anti-racist causes and Scottish independence. Optimo’s own record label released compilations such as Against Fascism Trax and Anarcho Disco, which funded donations to groups such as Hope Not Hate, and his DJ fees and label funds were often given to food banks."
Tomas Lindberg, frontman of Swedish death metal band At The Gates, died on Sept. 16, of a rare oral cancer. He was 52.
Rolling Stone reported that "The vocalist revealed his cancer diagnosis last month, but said he recorded vocals for the group’s new album before undergoing mouth surgery."
Lindberg fronted many death metal bands, most notably At the Gates. He started as a vocalist in the band Grotesque under the name Goatspell, then helped form At the Gates. That group broke up after the 1995 release of the highly acclaimed Slaughter of the Soul album, but reformed in 2007, and released eight albums in total.
His many other diverse musical projects within the metal and punk scene included The Great Deceiver (formerly Hide), Nightrage, Disfear, The Crown, Skitsystem and the grindcore supergroup Lock Up, featuring two Napalm Death members.
Lindberg was ranked number 30 out of 50 of The Greatest Metal Frontmen of All Time by Roadrunner Records.
The Guardian stated that "his introspective lyricism broke new ground in death metal. The late frontman refused to adhere to the lyrical conventions of the genre, surveying suffering in a peerless wailing screech that will echo across the history of heavy music.
"Tomas Lindberg was not the voice of death metal – he was so much better than that. During his 35-year career fronting Swedish band At the Gates, he never toed the line, never grunted about loving violence and hating Christianity because the genre dictated that you do so. Rather, he ripped up the rulebook with both his messaging and his delivery, setting a new standard for distinctiveness in extreme music."
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