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Luther Thomas
Luther Thomas: In Denmark
by Jakob Baekgaard
Denmark has a long tradition of jazz immigration and in the land where the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen was born, it is truly a musical fairy tale that such great artists as saxophonists Ben Webster, Dexter Gordon and Stan Getz have lived and worked in the country, along with pianists like Kenny Drew and Horace Parlan, trumpeter and arranger Thad Jones, and drummer Ed Thigpen. It is a musical legacy to be immensely proud of, and its story has ...
read moreLuther Thomas Quartet: Leave it to Luther
by Rex Butters
Leave it to Luther continues veteran alto saxophonist Luther Thomas’ fruitful association with CIMP. The label’s trademark living presence sound accentuates the tart and sweet sounds of Thomas and guitarist Ethan Mann, respectively, and catches every breath of Cliff Barbaro’s quicksilver cymbal work. Brian Smith’s basslines lurk and lead. As the band veers from free to swing and back, Smith’s playing defines the changes.
On the title track, Barbaro plays an uncannily melodic percussion intro before the ...
read moreLuther Thomas: Leave it to Luther
by Derek Taylor
One of the most appealing attributes of jazz is its diversity. Stripes and colors in the music rival the vistas of twirling domed canopies in that classic French musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. But with individuality comes an accompanying spectrum of method and quality. Certain players impress with their studied and accomplished techniques. Others emphasize emotional import over superlative prowess. Alto saxophonist Luther Thomas sits comfortably in the latter camp. He’s an energetic player whose enthusiasm occasionally eclipses the scope ...
read moreLuther Thomas and the Human Arts Ensemble: Funky Donkey, Vols. I & II
by AAJ Staff
I’m glad I gave Funky Donkey a second and third try, even though my final impressions remain mixed. This ensemble, affiliated with the St. Louis BAG (Black Artists Group), has released recordings under the aegis of both Thomas and Charles Bobo Shaw. My first encounter, on an Arista Freedom LP, was unfortunately negative despite my best efforts to dig the music.
Funky Donkey was recorded in 1973 and originally released on Creative Consciousness (CC1001T) in 1977. Circle Records subsequently reissued ...
read moreLuther Thomas Human Arts Ensemble: Funky Donkey
by Derek Taylor
Luther Thomas was one of the early pioneers in the struggle to mesh free jazz-based improvisation with the visceral rhythms of funk and Rhythm and Blues. Working with colleagues in the Black Artist’s Guild, an AACM-styled musician’s collective based in St. Louis, Missouri, in the early 1970s he hatched a handful of recorded experiments that traced his investigations, all of which quickly fell out of circulation. Thanks to John Corbett’s Unheard imprint one of those seminal sessions has been resurrected ...
read moreLuther Thomas Quintet: Realities: Old & New
by Derek Taylor
Luther Thomas plays and speaks from the gut and his unequivocal artistic integrity becomes immediately apparent whether it’s projected through his horn or by way of written word. Add to this that he’s managed to balance a reverence for jazz tradition with freer proclivities and an indication of what’s in store on this disc should begin to materialize. The group assembled is somewhat coarse around the edges, but blemish-free music breeds boredom and Thomas is all about keeping things fresh ...
read moreLuther Thomas's Probingly Incisive Alto in a Good Setting
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Gapplegate Music Review by Grego Edwards
There are a number of the late Luther Thomas's recordings on Ayler records. One of the very best is the download digital release of Finally! Total Unity in 3 Phases (aylDL-041). It's a 2006 quartet date that brings some lucid Thomas alto sax within the context of the ubiquitous Jeffry Hayden Shurdut on guitar and drums, Ed Chang on computer electronics, home-made reeds and tenor, and Motoko Shimizu on toys, recorder and voice. The quartet sets up interesting textural clouds ...
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STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Remembering Luther Thomas
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St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
This week, let's look at four video clips featuring the late Luther Thomas, who passed away last week at the age of 59. The saxophonist and St. Louis native lived in Copenhagen, Denmark, and all of four of these clips were recorded there. The first video was made at the Christiania Jazz Club during the Copenhagen Jazz Fest in July, 2008. It features Thomas fronting a quartet in a freebop ...
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WKCR to Broadcast Tribute to Luther Thomas at Noon Today
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St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
Jazz journalist and DJ Charles Blass emailed with news that WKCR (89.9 FM), the public radio station affiliated with NYC's Columbia University, will broadcast a memorial and tribute to the late saxophonist and St. Louis native Luther Thomas from noon to 9:00 p.m. (Eastern time) today, Tuesday, September 15. Guests will include On Ka'a Davis, William Spaceman" Patterson and Georgia Thomas.You can listen to WKCR's online audio stream here. For more about Luther Thomas, who died last week ...
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Luther Thomas 1950-2009
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St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
Citing a broadcast by the NYC public radio station WKCR, NPR's A Blog Supreme has posted an item saying that saxophonist Luther Thomas has died.The St. Louis native and former Black Artists Group member (pictured) has lived in Copenhagen, Denmark for a number of years, and at this point there don't seem to be any obituaries or other fresh news stories about him anywhere online, in either English or Danish.There are two other sources that confirm ...
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