Takin' Care Of Business – Eli "Lucky" Thompson
A swing-style riff blues head with some hip contrary-motion harmonies. A condensed score and second parts are available for the quintet arrangement.
- Recording: Lucky Thompson - Thompson Plays For Thomson
- Recorded on: February 22, 1956
- Label: Ducretet-Thomson (D93098)
- Concert Key: B-flat
- Style: Swing (medium up)
- Trumpet - Emmett Berry
- Tenor Sax - Lucky Thompson
- Piano - Henri Renaud
- Bass - Benoit Quersin
- Drums - Gerard "Dave" Pochonet
Video
- TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS - Modern Jazz At the Blue Note No. 4 - Lucky Thompson's Special Show Lucky Thompson - tenor sax; Jimmy Cleveland - trombone; Buddy Catlett - bass; Kenny Clarke - drums. February 13, 1960.
A riff blues head in a classic swing-to-bop style. Of course, Lucky Thompson's blues are never just another riff head. This one has a clever bit of arrangement: on the repeat of the head, the last phrase is harmonized in contrary motion, with the first and second parts crossing in the middle of the descending and ascending phrase. This song certainly works without the harmonization, but it really adds a hip extra layer. Because the horns play this last phrase in octaves the first time, both the melody and harmony lines are shown in our second parts, in their instruments' respective ranges.
Our audio excerpt starts with a fade in to the head. This recording has a four-measure drum intro followed by two choruses of piano solo in F, modulating to B♭ for the head.
Our audio excerpt starts with a fade in to the head. This recording has a four-measure drum intro followed by two choruses of piano solo in F, modulating to B♭ for the head.
"Thompson Plays For Thomson" was Lucky Thompson's first recording from his three-month visit to Paris in 1956. Lucky was back in Paris from 1957 to 1962. A TV broadcast from 1960 shows another version of Takin' Care Of Business. Recorded in a chordless quartet setting with Jimmy Cleveland on trombone, Buddy Catlett on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums, this version has a different ending to the main melody riff; the melody is played in unison throughout without the contrary motion harmonies.
Eli "Lucky" Thompson
June 16, 1923 – July 30, 2005
Saxophonist Lucky Thompson is one of the great treasures of jazz. He was born in Columbia, South Carolina, but was raised in Detroit, Michigan. He played in local groups with Hank Jones, Sonny Stitt and others. In August, 1943, when he was 19, he left Detroit with Lionel Hampton's Orchestra, eventually arriving in New York City. Still a teenager, his first recording date was with Hot Lips Page on March 18, 1944. Later in 1944 he started recording with both Lucky Millinder and Count Basie. Read more...