Double Bass Supremo, Danny Thompson has left us. A versatile musician who covered more ground than you’d think possible, he was the go to man if you wanted a decent swing and groove. Across roots, rock and beyond he forged ahead fearlessly. Simon Jones pays tribute.
“I said to my wife, ‘When I snuff it, don’t chuck all that stuff out – there’s some really good gear there.’”
So related Danny Thompson to Michael Barnes concerning his solo album ‘Connected,’ from 2012, a release which showed the real diversity of the Thompson CV, tracks from the vaults, everything from John Martyn to Tom Robinson to Eric Bibb. You might say the more obscure of his catalogue- after all he worked with Kate Bush, Rod Stewart and Peter Gabriel, Stan Tracey and is even on the Thunderbirds theme – but the songs he chose for ‘Connected’ meant a lot. Delving into his tape stack was a pleasure not a chore and as he hinted in the quote above, more was awaiting excavation.
Now that quote is pertinent for indeed the Ace of Double Bass has passed away.
A military career saw him learn the trombone as part of an army brass band, but his heart had been won over by the bass, he’d even had a go at making his own before acquiring a proper instrument, eventually playing long sets in the bars and clubs of Soho. He landed a gig with Roy Orbison – the support :The Beatles. A stint with Alexis Korner as part of Blues Incorporated proved key to opening sessions and a widening musical landscape beckoned.
His time as a staple of the early 60s blues and jazz scene led him to join folk fusionists Pentangle where he fell in with like minds, amongst them Bert Jansch, John Renbourn and Jacqui McShee. Folk and jazz mixed and before you knew it they were a hot ticket, adding in blues and gospel as well. They were BBC regulars on television and radio, writing the music for ‘Take Three Girls’ TV series. Though they split in 1973 the reunions were frequent and only stopped in 2008 as age advanced. Thompson never let a thing like age slow him down though going on to establish recognition as sides man for another passionate artist, John Martyn.
Playing on almost every Martyn record in the 70s and particularly on ‘Solid Air’ the pair created timeless music which’d make the hardest heart melt, yet also they gained a reputation for hard drinking and rough behaviour. Ironically when they were at their most esoteric and ‘out there’ they gave some great performances. ‘Live At Leeds’ is almost all pure off the cuff improvisation wherein the tracks are morphed and reshaped constantly. Drummer John Stevens was as madcap as Martyn and Danny, and occasionally Paul Kossoff would join in the party. It’s a quite remarkable document of wild times. All good things come to an end though and Danny remained firm friends with Martyn he was quoted in Martyn’s biography ‘Some People Are Crazy’ as saying, “we keep our tents far apart in order to remain close.”
At one time it seemed as if teaming up with a bloke who strummed a rootsy guitar was his calling, as stints alongside Donovan and Richard Thompson occupied him regularly though it was the fact that his phone never stopped ringing which always amazed him. That was simply recognition Danny Thompson was the best at what he did, a flexible musician to whom genres and musical boxes meant nothing. To him there were two types of music, good and bad, guess which one he wanted to work with.
Work he did too, one glance at the discography on his website will make your eyes water. Densely packed and scrolling on it’s only when you slow down and peer into the type that the names start to appear. To list them all would be useless but to offer a glimpse into Thompson’s varied world…Marianne Faithful, Incredible String Band, Cliff Richard, T.Rex, Julie Felix, Nick Drake, Magna Carta, David Sylvian, Talk Talk, Sandy Denny, Loudon Wainwright, Billy Bragg, Julian Cope, Alison Moyet, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Barbara Dickson, Blue Rose Code, Cat Stevens, Graham Coxon, Paul Weller….. fill in our own! Diverse or what? His biography when eventually it’s written will make compelling reading.
It’s not too much of an understatement to say that he loved what he did, that people recognised his talents and respected him for his down to earth dedication. He was a giant of music. It’s doubtful anyone will ever come close to achieving what he did. September 23rd we lost a very unique musician. A life well lived.
Danny Thompson 4th April 1939 – September 23rd 2025.
