Danny Ray Thompson (October 1, 1947 – March 12, 2020) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

musician. He played baritone saxophone with the

Sun Ra Arkestra The Sun Ra Arkestra is an American jazz group formed in the mid-1950s and led by keyboardist/composer Sun Ra until his death in 1993. The group is considered a pioneer of afrofuturism. As of 2022, the Arkestra is led by saxophonist Marshall Al ...

and managed the band for a period of time.

Early life

Thompson was born in New York City, to Elgie and Oscar Leonard Thompson. Soon his family moved to Los Angeles, California but after high school Thompson returned to New York City and attended night classes at

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most ...

Career

Thompson's first concert was with

Babatunde Olatunji Michael Babatunde Olatunji (April 7, 1927 – April 6, 2003) was a Nigerian drummer, educator, social activist, and recording artist. Early life Olatunji was born in the village of Ajido, near Badagry, Lagos State, in southwestern N ...

and after meeting

Marshall Allen Marshall Belford Allen (born May 25, 1924) is an American free jazz and avant-garde jazz alto saxophone player. He also performs on flute, oboe, piccolo, and EWI (an electronic valve instrument made by Steiner, Crumar company). Allen is best ...

, Thompson was introduced to Sun Ra. The first Arkestra album Thompson appeared on was 1967's ''

Atlantis Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works ''Timaeus'' and ''Critias'', wherein it represents the antagonist naval power that bes ...

''. He made his first live appearance with the Arkestra in April, 1968 at Carnegie Hall. Thompson, along with fellow Arkestra members Marshall Allen and Charles Davis, was present for a 100th birthday celebration for Sun Ra at the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cou ...

in 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Danny Ray 1947 births 2020 deaths Musicians from New York City American jazz baritone saxophonists African-American jazz musicians Sun Ra Arkestra members 20th-century African-American musicians 20th-century American musicians 20th-century saxophonists Jazz musicians from New York (state) 21st-century African-American people