Ross Tompkins (May 13, 1938 – June 30, 2006) was an American jazz pianist who was a member of ''The Tonight Show'' Band.

Biography

Tompkins attended the New England Conservatory of Music, then moved to New York City, where he worked with

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 ...

(1960–67),

Eric Dolphy Eric Allan Dolphy Jr. (June 20, 1928 – June 29, 1964) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, bass clarinetist and flautist. On a few occasions, he also played the clarinet and piccolo. Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gai ...

(1964), Wes Montgomery (1966), Bob Brookmeyer/

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948–51), Duke ...

(1966),

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

(1968), Bobby Hackett (1965–70), and Al Cohn and Zoot Sims (1968–72). He moved to Los Angeles in 1971, playing with

Louie Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, ...

Joe Venuti Giuseppe "Joe" Venuti (September 16, 1903 – August 14, 1978) was an American jazz musician and pioneer jazz violinist. Considered the father of jazz violin, he pioneered the use of string instruments in jazz along with the guitarist Eddie La ...

, and Red Norvo in the 1970s and Jack Sheldon in the 1980s. He was best known for his longtime association with The Tonight Show Band, led by

Doc Severinsen Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American retired jazz trumpeter who led the NBC Orchestra on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. Early life Severinsen was born in Arlington, Oregon, to Minnie Mae (1897–1998) a ...

, on the television program '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. He was a member of the band from 1971 until Carson's retirement in 1992. He recorded for Concord Jazz as a leader in the second half of the 1970s. Tompkins died of lung cancer at the age of 68.

Discography

As leader

* ''A Pair to Draw To'' ( Concord Jazz, 1975) * ''Scrimshaw'' (Concord, 1976) * ''Live at Concord 1977'' (Concord, 1977) * ''Lost in the Stars'' (Concord, 1977) * ''Ross Tompkins and Good Friends'' (Concord, 1978) * ''Festival Time'' (Concord, 1979) * ''Street of Dreams'' (Famous Door, 1982) * ''Solo Piano'' (

Progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

, 1994) * ''Celebrates the Music of Jule Styne'' (Progressive, 1996) * ''Heart to Heart'' (HD, 1998) with

Cathy Segal-Garcia Cathy Segal-Garcia (born May 28, 1953) is an American jazz singer. Segal-Garcia attended Berklee College of Music where she played flute and studied arranging and composition. Discography * ''Point of View'' (1985) * ''Song of the Heart'' ( Wh ...

* ''Ross Tompkins Celebrates the Music of Harold Arlen'' (Progressive, 1999) * ''Younger than Springtime'' ( Arbors, 2001)

As sideman

With

* ''The Great Kai & J. J.'' (1960) * '' The Incredible Kai Winding Trombones'' (Impulse!, 1960) * '' Kai Olé'' (Verve, 1961) * '' Solo'' (Verve, 1963) * '' Israel'' (A&M/CTI, 1968) with

J. J. Johnson J.J. Johnson (January 22, 1924 – February 4, 2001), born James Louis Johnson and also known as Jay Jay Johnson, was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. Johnson was one of the earliest trombonists to embrace bebop. Biograph ...

* '' Stonebone'' (A&M/CTI (Japan), 1969) with J. J. Johnson With

* 1970 ''Doc Severinsen's Closet'' * 1986 ''The Tonight Show Band Vol. 1'' * 1988 ''The Tonight Show Band Vol. 2'' * 1991 ''Merry Christmas from Doc Severinsen'' * 1991 ''Once More...With Feeling!'' * 1992 ''Good Medicine'' * 1999 ''Swingin' the Blues'' With Tommy Newsom * 1991 ''Tommy Newsom and His TV Jazz Stars'' * 1996 ''I Remember You Johnny'' With

* 1974 ''150 MPH'' * 1975 '' The Louis Bellson Explosion'' * 1976 ''Louie Bellson's 7'' * 1978 ''Louis Bellson Jam'' * 1978 ''Matterhorn'' * 1978 ''Prime Time'' * 1978 ''Raincheck'' * 1978 ''Sunshine Rock'' * 1995 ''Live at Concord Summer Festival'' * 1994 ''Cool Cool Blue'' With

Herb Ellis Mitchell Herbert Ellis (August 4, 1921 – March 28, 2010), known professionally as Herb Ellis, was an American jazz guitarist. During the 1950s, he was in a trio with pianist Oscar Peterson. Biography Born in Farmersville, Texas, and raised ...

* 1975 ''A Pair to Draw To'' * 1975 ''Rhythm Willie'' * 1979 ''Soft & Mellow'' * 1979 ''Herb Ellis at Montreux'' With Snooky Young * ''Snooky & Marshall's Album'' (1978) * ''Horn of Plenty'' (Concord Jazz, 1979) with

John Collins John Collins may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John Collins (poet) (1742–1808), English orator, singer, and poet * John Churton Collins (1848–1908), English literary critic * John H. Collins (director) (1889–1918), American director an ...

, Ray Brown, and Jake Hanna. With

Bill Watrous William Russell Watrous III (June 8, 1939 – July 2, 2018) was an American jazz trombonist. He is perhaps best known for his rendition of Sammy Nestico's arrangement of the Johnny Mandel ballad "A Time for Love", which he recorded on a 1993 albu ...

* 1980 ''I'll Play for You'' * 2001 ''Bill Watrous & Carl Fontana'' With Jack Sheldon * 1983 ''Stand by for Jack Sheldon'' * 1991 ''On My Own'' With others * 1962 ''In a Mellow Mood'', Joe Newman * 1968 ''Warm Wild & Wonderful'', Tony Mottola * 1976 ''

Hawthorne Nights ''Hawthorne Nights'' is an album by saxophonist Zoot Sims recorded in 1976 and released by the Pablo label the following year.Zoot Sims * 1977 ''The Real Howard Roberts'', Howard Roberts * 1978 ''Sweet Lorraine'', Lorraine Feather * 1979 ''Peanuts Hucko with His Pied Piper Quintet'', Peanuts Hucko * 1979 ''Red and Ros''s, Red Norvo * 1980 ''Play the Music of Michel LeGrand'', Bob Cooper * 1981 ''California Doings'', Dick Cary * 1988 ''Just a Bit o' Blues Vol. 1'', Spike Robinson * 1988 ''Just a Bit o' Blues Vol. 2'', Harry Edison/Spike Robinson * 1990 ''Doug MacDonald Quartet'', Doug MacDonald * 1990 ''Piano & Vocals'',

Jack Lemmon John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was an American actor. Considered equally proficient in both dramatic and comic roles, Lemmon was known for his anxious, middle-class everyman screen persona in dramedy pictures, leadin ...

* 1993 ''Bob Cooper/Conte Candoli Quintet'', Bob Cooper & Conte Candoli * 1994 ''Don't You Know I Care?'', Polly Podewell * 1994 ''Prez Impressions'', Dick Hafer * 1999 ''Evening Delight'', Plas Johnson * 2001 ''Live in Paradise'', Dave Pell

References

Footnotes Further Reading *Paul Rinzler, "Ross Tompkins". '' The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz''. 2nd edition, 2001, ed.

Barry Kernfeld Barry Dean Kernfeld (born August 11, 1950) is an American musicologist and jazz saxophonist who has researched and published extensively about the history of jazz and the biographies of its musicians. Education In 1968, Kernfeld enrolled at U ...

. *Richard S. Ginell, Ross Tompkinsat Allmusic

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tompkins, Ross 1938 births 2006 deaths Deaths from lung cancer American jazz pianists American male pianists Jazz musicians from Michigan Concord Records artists 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians The Tonight Show Band members Arbors Records artists