Guitarist
J. Thompson brings his deep background in jazz, rock, and R&B to his
music. His new release "Inside World" follows his award
winning 2003 CD "Romantic Night," and continues to redefine
contemporary jazz. From the upbeat to the calming and romantic, the new
CD takes you away from the every day and lets you go to your own "Inside
World." "These days we all need some time to escape into our
own place to take a breather from the stress of every day life. Music
can really cure and energize the soul, says J. "Inside World"
gives you a chance to recharge."
J. says "My favorite thing about this album is that it has a retro
sound - it's new "old" music. It feels familair to many of us
who grew up with jazz and rock and funk but it is contemporary and fresh
at the same time. It's a mix of styles because most of us like several
styles of music." And J's line up includes some of the world's best
players - on keyboards Peter Horvath, drums Oscar Seaton, percussion
Louis Conte and a special guest appearance by Norton Buffalo on
chromatic harp.
A professional musician since the age of 16, Thompson's expertise on
guitar, bass and drums has led him to participate in a wide range of
projects throughout his career. In 2003 Thompson contemporary jazz album
"Romantic Night" was voted the #1 most played independent CD
of 2003 by Smooth Jazz.com . The song "Tell Me the Truth"
charted in the top 10 on the R&R national radio charts and continues
to be a favorite on play lists today. Like "Inside World", the
album also features an all star line up including Marc Russo, Will
Kennedy, Edie Henderson, etc, etc.
Earlier in his career as a session bassist, Thompson worked with
producers Jim Gains and Allen Toussaint. Outside of the studio, Thompson
played bass with the Jorge Santana band in the late 70's and 80's and
with the Pablo Cruise ban Td in the 90's, among many others.
Thompson moved into the adult contemporary world in 1989 with his hit
album, "Tell Me Tell Me." The Gavin Report described the album
as "One of the year's best independent AA releases." The album,
produced by Thompson and featuring Marc Russo (Yellow Jackets, Doobie
Brothers) on sax included 2 singles that charted in the top 20.