Lucky Thompson – Illuminations (Groove Merchant, 1974)

Lucky Thompson (ss, ts); Cedar Walton (p, el p, clst); Larry Ridley (b); Sam Jones (b); Billy Higgins (d); Louis Hayes (d)

Originally released as two Groove Merchant LPs: Goodbye Yesterday (1972) and I Offer You (1973).

Recorded in 1972 and 1973

Oh man, I love this music.  It's dear to my heart and indescribably beautiful -- especially the cuts featuring Thompson's work on the soprano.  Thompson plays the instrument like no one else; he was a complete original.  I don't know how he was able to express such stunning vulnerability.

Sadly, these LPs were among the last music that Lucky Thompson ever recorded.  Around this time, he was teaching at Dartmouth College.  Shortly thereafter, he left the music business.

Thompson lived until 2005, but his remaining years were very difficult.  By the early-1990s Thompson was living a hermit-like existence as a homeless person in Seattle, Washington. 

It's a sad story.  But Thompson's artistry lives on.  Don't deny yourself the opportunity to hear this life-affirming music.  It may not be well-known, but it should be.