Edmund Leonard Thigpen (December 28, 1930 – January 13, 2010) was an American jazz drummer, best known for his work with the

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. As a virtuoso who is considered to be one of the greatest Jazz piano, jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordin ...

trio from 1959 to 1965. Thigpen also performed with the Billy Taylor trio from 1956 to 1959.

Biography

Born in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, Thigpen was raised in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, and attended Thomas Jefferson High School, where

Art Farmer Arthur Stewart Farmer (August 21, 1928 – October 4, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet–flugelhorn combination especially designed for him. He and his identical twin brother, doub ...

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians. Gordon's height was , so he was also known as "Long Tall Dexter" an ...

, and

Chico Hamilton Foreststorn "Chico" Hamilton (September 20, 1921 – November 25, 2013) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He came to prominence as sideman for Lester Young, Gerry Mulligan, Count Basie, and Lena Horne. Hamilton became a bandleader, f ...

also attended. After majoring in sociology at

Los Angeles City College Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in East Hollywood, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard on the former campus of the U ...

, Thigpen returned to East St. Louis for one year to pursue music while living with his father who had been playing with Andy Kirk's Clouds of Joy. His father, Ben Thigpen, was a drummer who played with Andy Kirk for sixteen years during the 1930s and 1940s. Thigpen first worked professionally in New York City with the

Cootie Williams Charles Melvin "Cootie" Williams (July 10, 1911 – September 15, 1985) was an American jazz, jump blues, and rhythm and blues trumpeter. Biography Born in Mobile, Alabama, Williams began his professional career at the age of 14 with the Yo ...

orchestra from 1951 to 1952 at the Savoy Ballroom. During this time he played with musicians such as

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (; born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, one of the most popular black female recording artists of the 1950s. Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a ...

, Gil Mellé, Oscar Pettiford,

Eddie Vinson Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (born Edward L. Vinson Jr.; December 18, 1917 – July 2, 1988) was an American jump blues, jazz, bebop and rhythm and blues, R&B alto saxophonist and blues shouter. He was nicknamed "Cleanhead" after an incident in wh ...

, Paul Quinichette, Ernie Wilkins, Charlie Rouse, Lennie Tristano,

Jutta Hipp Jutta Hipp (February 4, 1925 – April 7, 2003) was a jazz pianist and composer. Born in Leipzig during the Weimar Republic, Hipp initially listened to jazz in secret, as it was not approved of by the Nazi authorities. After World War II, she be ...

Johnny Hodges Johnny Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American alto saxophone, alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years. Hodges was also featured on sop ...

Dorothy Ashby Dorothy Jeanne Thompson (August 6, 1932 – April 13, 1986), better known as Dorothy Ashby, was an American jazz harpist, singer and composer. Hailed as one of the most "unjustly under loved jazz greats of the 1950s" and the "most accomplished ...

Bud Powell Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell (September 27, 1924 – July 31, 1966) was an American jazz pianist and composer. A pioneer in the development of bebop and its associated contributions to jazz theory,Grove Powell's application of complex phrasing to ...

, and Billy Taylor. In 1959, he replaced guitarist Herb Ellis in the

Trio in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Canada. In 1961, he recorded in Los Angeles, featuring on the

Teddy Edwards Theodore Marcus "Teddy" Edwards (April 26, 1924 – April 20, 2003) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Biography Edwards was born in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. He learned to play at a very early age, first on alto saxophone ...

–

Howard McGhee Howard McGhee (March 6, 1918 – July 17, 1987) was one of the first American bebop jazz trumpeters, with Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro and Idrees Sulieman. He was known for his fast fingering and high notes. He had an influence on younger bebo ...

Quintet album entitled '' Together Again!!!!'' for the

Contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...

label with Phineas Newborn Jr. and Ray Brown. After leaving Peterson, Thigpen recorded the album '' Out of the Storm'' as a leader for Verve in 1966. He then went on to tour with

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

from 1967 to 1972. In 1972, Thigpen moved to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, joining several other American jazz musicians who had settled in that city over the previous two decades. There he worked with fellow American expatriates, including

Kenny Drew Kenneth Sidney "Kenny" Drew (August 28, 1928 – August 4, 1993) was an American-Danish jazz pianist. Biography Drew was born on August 28, 1928, in New York City, United States, and he received piano lessons from the age of five. Feather, ...

, Ernie Wilkins,

Thad Jones Thaddeus Joseph Jones (March 28, 1923 – August 20, 1986) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer and bandleader who has been called "one of the all-time greatest jazz trumpet soloists". Early life, family and education Thad Jones was born i ...

, as well as leading Danish jazz musicians such as Svend Asmussen, Mads Vinding, Alex Riel, and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen. He also played with a variety of other leading musicians of the time, such as

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American Swing music, swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948� ...

, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis,

Milt Jackson Milton Jackson (January 1, 1923 – October 9, 1999), nicknamed "Bags", was an American jazz vibraphonist. He is especially remembered for his cool swinging solos as a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet and his penchant for collaborating with ...

, and

Monty Alexander Montgomery Bernard "Monty" Alexander OJ CD (born 6 June 1944) is a Jamaican American jazz pianist. His playing has a Caribbean influence and bright swinging feeling, with a strong vocabulary of bebop jazz and blues rooted melodies. He was in ...

. Thigpen died peacefully after a brief period in Hvidovre Hospital in Copenhagen on January 13, 2010. He had been hospitalized for heart and lung problems and was also suffering from

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

. He is buried at Vestre Kirkegård.

Awards and recognition

Thigpen was inducted into the

Percussive Arts Society The Percussive Arts Society (PAS) is a non-profit organization for professional percussionists and percussion educators. It was founded in 1961 in the United States and has over 5,000 members in 40 American chapters, with another 28 chapters abr ...

Hall of Fame in 2002.

Discography

As leader

* '' Out of the Storm'' (Verve, 1966) * ''Action-Re-Action'' ( Sonet, 1974) * ''Explosive Drums'' (Black & Blue, 1974) * ''Young Men and Olds'' ( Timeless, 1990) * ''Easy Flight'' (

Stunt A stunt is an unusual, difficult, dramatic physical feat that may require a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually for a public audience, as on television or in theaters or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Befo ...

, 1990) * ''Mr. Taste'' (

Justin Time Records Justin Time Records is a Canadian record company and independent record label founded in Montreal by Jim West. It was established in 1983 and specialises in jazz and blues. Although Justin Time initially recorded Canadian musicians such as Oliver ...

, 1992) * ''It's Entertainment'' (Stunt, 1998) * ''Element of Swing'' (Stunt, 2002) * ''#1'' (Stunt, 2004)

As sideman

With

Gene Ammons Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also known as "The Boss", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. The son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons is remembered for his accessible music, steeped in soul and R ...

* '' Velvet Soul'' (

Prestige Prestige may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films *Prestige (film), ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnett: woman travels to French Indochina to meet up with husband *The Prestige (film), ''The Prestige'' (fi ...

, 1964) – rec. 1962 * '' Angel Eyes'' (Prestige, 1965) – rec. 1962 * '' Sock!'' (Prestige, 1965) – rec. 1962 With

* '' Three Trumpets'' with

Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter, composer and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few h ...

and Idrees Sulieman (Prestige, 1957) * ''

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

'' (Soul Note, 1981) With

* '' At the Hickory House Volume 1'' (Blue Note, 1956) – live * '' At the Hickory House Volume 2'' (Blue Note, 1956) – live * '' Jutta Hipp with Zoot Sims'' (Blue Note, 1957) – rec. 1956 With

Duke Jordan Irving Sidney "Duke" Jordan (April 1, 1922 – August 8, 2006) was an American jazz pianist. Biography Jordan was born in New York and raised in Brooklyn where he attended Boys High School. An imaginative and gifted pianist, Jordan was a regul ...

* '' Flight to Denmark'' ( SteepleChase, 1974) – rec. 1973 * '' Two Loves'' (SteepleChase, 1975) – rec. 1973 * ''

Truth Truth or verity is the Property (philosophy), property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth, 2005 In everyday language, it is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise cor ...

'' (SteepleChase, 1983) – rec. 1975 With Gil Mellé * '' Patterns in Jazz'' ( Blue Note, 1956) * '' Primitive Modern'' (Prestige, 1956) * '' Gil's Guests'' (

, 1957) With

Affinity Affinity may refer to: Commerce, finance and law * Affinity (law), kinship by marriage * Affinity analysis, a market research and business management technique * Affinity Credit Union, a Saskatchewan-based credit union * Affinity Equity Pa ...

'' (Verve, 1962) * ''West Side Story'' (Verve, 1962) * ''The Oscar Peterson Trio in Tokyo 1964'' ( Pablo, 1964) * '' We Get Requests'' (Verve, 1964) * '' Oscar Peterson Trio + One'' – with Clark Terry (Verve, 1964) * '' I/We Had a Ball'' (Limelight, 1965) - 1 track * ''

Eloquence Eloquence (from French language, French ''eloquence'' from Latin ''eloquentia'') is the quality of speech or writing that is marked by fluency, elegancy, and persuasiveness. It is also defined as one of the aims of formal oratory and, in this ...

'' (Limelight, 1965) * '' Action (Exclusively for My Friends, Vol. 1)'' ( MPS, 1968) * ''Oscar Peterson with Clark Terry'' ( Mercury Jazz Masters, 1982) With

* '' Ella à Nice'' ( Pablo, 1971) – live * '' Jazz at Santa Monica Civic '72'' ( Pablo, 1972) – live * '' Ella Loves Cole'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

, 1972) – reissued as '' Dream Dancing'' ( Pablo, 1978) * '' Ella in Budapest, Hungary'' ( Pablo, 1999) – live rec. 1970 With Billy Taylor * '' My Fair Lady Loves Jazz'' (ABC-Paramount, 1957) * '' The New Billy Taylor Trio'' (ABC-Paramount, 1957) * '' The Billy Taylor Touch'' (Atlantic, 1957) *'' Taylor Made Jazz'' (Argo, 1959) With Paul Quinichette and Charlie Rouse * ''The Chase Is On'' (

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

, 1958) – rec. 1957 * ''When The Blues Comes On, Pt. 1&2'' (Bethlehem, 1957) With others *

Toshiko Akiyoshi is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. Akiyoshi received fourteen Grammy Award nominations and was the first woman to win Best Arranger and Composer awards in ''Down Beat'' magazine's annual Readers' Poll. In 1984, sh ...

, '' The Toshiko Trio'' ( Storyville, 1956) *

, '' The Jazz Harpist'' (Regent, 1957) * Svend Asmussen, ''As Time Goes By'' (Sonet, 1978) * Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, '' Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra'' (ECM, 1990) – rec. 1989 *

Kenny Burrell Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige Records, Prestige, Blue Note, Verve Records, Verve, CTI Records, CTI, Muse Records, Muse, and Concord Records, Conco ...

, '' Earthy'' (Prestige, 1957) *

Benny Carter Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. With Johnny Hodges, he was a pioneer on the alto saxophone. From the beginning of his career ...

, '' Summer Serenade'' (Storyville, 1982) – rec. 1980 * Teddy Charles, ''Salute to Hamp'' (Bethlehem, 1958) *

, '' Your Soft Eyes'' (Soul Note, 1981) *

–

Quintet, ''Howard McGhee/Teddy Edwards – Together Again!!!!'' (Contemporary M 3588, S 7588; Fantasy OJC 424, OJCCD 424-2) *

, '' More Than You Know'' (SteepleChase, 1975) *

Johnny Griffin John Arnold Griffin III (April 24, 1928 – July 25, 2008) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Nicknamed "the Little Giant" for his short stature and forceful playing, Griffin's career began in the mid-1940s and continued until the month of ...

, '' Blues for Harvey'' (SteepleChase, 1973) * Indianerne, ''Sound'' (ILK Music, 2011) P– rec. 2009–10 * Oliver Jones, ''A Class Act'' (

, 1991) * John Lindberg,

Albert Mangelsdorff Albert Mangelsdorff (September 5, 1928 – July 25, 2005) was a German jazz trombonist. Working mainly in free jazz, he was an innovator in multiphonics. Early life Mangelsdorff was born in Frankfurt on September 5, 1928, as the son of the book ...

& Eric Watson, ''Quartet Afterstorm'' (

Black Saint Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italy, Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History ...

, 1994) * Mundell Lowe, '' A Grand Night for Swinging'' (Riverside, 1957) *

and

, '' Together Again!!!!'' (Contemporary, 1961) * Frank Minion, ''The Soft Land of Make Believe'' (Bethlehem, 1959) * Tony Ortega, ''Jazz for Young Moderns'' (Bethlehem, 1959) – rec. 1958–59 * Horace Parlan, '' Arrival'' ( SteepleChase, 1973) * Oscar Pettiford, ''Winner's Circle'' (

, 1957) * Jack van Poll, ''Cat's Groove'' (September, 1988) * Paul Quinichette, '' On the Sunny Side'' (Prestige, 1957) * Charlie Rouse and Paul Quinichette, '' The Chase Is On'' (Bethlehem, 1958) *

Cal Tjader Callen Radcliffe Tjader Jr. ( ; July 16, 1925 – May 5, 1982) was an American Latin Jazz musician, often described as the most successful non-Latino Latin music (genre), Latin musician. He explored other jazz idioms, especially small group mod ...

, ''The Prophet'' (Verve 1968) * Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, '' Clean Head's Back in Town'' (Bethlehem, 1957) * Eric Watson and

Mark Dresser Mark Dresser (born September 26, 1952) is an American double bass player and composer. Career Dresser was born in Los Angeles, California, United States. In the 1970s, he was a member of Black Music Infinity led by Stanley Crouch and performed w ...

, ''Silent Hearts'' (Sunnyside, 2001) *

Frank Wess Frank Wellington Wess (January 4, 1922 – October 30, 2013) was an American jazz saxophonist and flutist. He was renowned for his extensive solo work; however, he was also remembered for his time playing with Count Basie, Count Basie's band duri ...

, '' Jazz for Playboys'' (Savoy, 1957) * Ernie Wilkins on the Everest labe, ''Everest Years'' ( VI Music, 2005) *

Kai Winding Kai Chresten Winding ( ; May 18, 1922 – May 6, 1983) was a Danish-born American trombonist and jazz composer. He is known for his collaborations with fellow trombonist J. J. Johnson. His version of " More", the theme from the movie ''Mondo Ca ...

and

Curtis Fuller Curtis DuBois Fuller (December 15, 1932May 8, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist. He was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and contributed to many classic jazz recordings. Early life Fuller was born in Detroit on December 15, 193 ...

, '' Giant Bones '80'' (Sonet, 1980) * Webster Young, '' For Lady'' (Prestige, 1957)

References

External links

* * * *
Ed Thigpen Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2004) {{DEFAULTSORT:Thigpen, Ed African-American drummers American jazz drummers Hard bop drummers Bebop drummers Verve Records artists Timeless Records artists Jazz musicians from Chicago 1930 births 2010 deaths Burials at Vestre Cemetery, Copenhagen American expatriates in Denmark American emigrants to Denmark Naturalised citizens of Denmark Almost Big Band members Justin Time Records artists Black Saint/Soul Note artists Ilk Records artists Jefferson High School (Los Angeles) alumni 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American musicians Oscar Peterson Trio members American male drummers Drummers from Chicago