Edgar Charles Thompson, known professionally as Eddie Thompson (31 May 1925 – 6 November 1986) was a British jazz pianist.^[1]

Biography

Thompson was born blind in London, England.^[1] After studying at the same school for the blind as George Shearing, he recorded with Victor Feldman in the late 1940s and also with the Carlo Krahmer Band at the Paris Jazz Fair in 1949.^[1]

In the 1950s, he worked with Tony Crombie (making records with Crombie under his own name), Vic Ash, Freddy Randall and Tommy Whittle and was house pianist at Ronnie Scott’s from 1959 until 1960.^[1] From 1962 to 1972, he lived and worked in the US at Hickory House, a well-known jazz club (started up in 1933) at 52nd Street, Manhattan, New York.^[1] He led his own trio featuring Len Skeat and Martin Drew, which recorded an album with Spike Robinson.^[1] Thompson also formed a duo with Roger Kellaway. Thompson was considered by many^[who?] to be a 'dazzlingly inventive player' during his early recording career.

Thompson was recorded in the early 1980s by Hep Records,^[2] including Memories of You (1983).^[3]

He was known to have used the Underground to get to the clubs in London.^[3] He had a lifelong smoking habit which caused him to develop emphysema, which contributed to his early death in London in November 1986, at the age of 61. At the time of his death he was noted as being at "the height of his powers" as well as having a considerable musical repertoire.^[1][4]

During the 70s, Eddie regularly travelled up to Stockport on Fridays, with his dog of course. During the day he would perform piano tuning at Nield and Hardy's, one of the two major musical instrument stores in the town. Just round the corner from the store was the Warren Buckley pub and beneath was a jazz cellar where Eddie (with dog under the piano) played during the evening with two local musicians making up the trio. One notable evening touring American greats, Al Grey and Buddy Tate who was deputising for Jimmy Forrest, played a memorable session with Eddie's trio.