Who Do You Have to Know Rich Thompson

• 1Who Do You Have to Know?06:06
• 2Street Cred07:18
• 3Gray and Visceral07:15
• 4Why Don't I04:45
• 5With You05:24
• 6What a Wonderful World06:42
• 7Wave06:55
• 8A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing06:01
• 9Fried Pies06:03
• Total Runtime56:29

Info for Who Do You Have to Know

With several Origin releases featuring mainstream heavyweights, young up-and-comers, and chordless trio explorations with his Trio East and Triocity groups, drummer Rich Thompson has covered vast musical ground. Here, Thompson teams with his bandmate from trumpeter Byron Stripling's band, pianist/organist Bobby Floyd, guitarist Corey Christiansen and bassist Peter Chwazik for an organic, grooving session covering originals, seldom heard classics such as Sonny Rollins' "Why Don't I," and John Scofield's "Gray & Visceral," to new takes on three beloved standards including "A Flower is a Lovesome Thing."

"...a study in purposeful orchestration..." (Modern Drummer)

"4-STARS The title of drummer Rich Thompson's 2023 release is Who Do You Have To Know?. The answer to that: John Bishop and Matt Jorgensen, the team that runs the Origin and OA2 Records labels that boast prolific and consistently good outputs, featuring an array of well-known and a goodly number of not-so-well-known, but always interesting, often ..." (All About Jazz, Dan McClenaghan)

"Welcome to the first in what I hope will be a growing series of posts about new albums being put out by one of the talented jazz musicians or groups in and around Rochester, NY. The first is by local drummer (and Eastman professor) Rich Thompson, who is asking that perennial question of those breaking into anything new with his new album Who Do You ..." (Jazz Rochester, Editor)

"Veteran drummer Rich Thompson ushers a lithe and swinging quartet through its paces on his latest album, Who Do You Have to Know? (the answer to which, alas, is not forthcoming). This is basically late-night jazz, the kind often reserved for after-hours jam sessions whose participants are fully engaged in the task at hand and hold nothing back. ..." (All About Jazz, Jack Bowers)

Corey Christiansen, guitar
Bobby Floyd, organ, piano
Peter Chwazik, bass
Rich Thompson, drums

Recorded by Greg Thompson at Kresge Studios, Rochester, NY
Mixed by Greg Thompson at Injured Ear Productions, Rochester, NY
Mastered by David Darlington at Bass Hit Studios, NYC
Executive Producer: Janine Thompson
Produced by Rich Thompson

Rich Thompson
is an Associate Professor of jazz studies and contemporary media (pt) at the Eastman School of Music. In addition to his duties as artist/teacher of drum set, he also teaches fundamentals of jazz drum set, assists in coaching the rhythm sections of small groups and big bands, and is a member of the Eastman Jazz Trio/Quartet with Harold Danko, Clay Jenkins and Jeff Campbell.

Mr. Thompson received a bachelor's degree in music education and in percussion from the University of Oklahoma, and a master's degree in jazz studies and contemporary media (performance) from the Eastman School of Music. In the spring of 1996, while on tour with the Count Basie Orchestra, he was asked to join the Eastman faculty. Continuing to tour with the Basie Orchestra, Rich joined the Eastman faculty in the fall of 1996. His association with the Rochester Philharmonic began in the fall of 1994 and continued through January of 2005. Under the direction of pops conductor Jeff Tyzik, Rich has been a featured soloist with the RPO, as well as with many major orchestras in the United States and Canada. He has also toured with the Glenn Miller Orchestra and the Nelson Riddle Orchestra.

He appeared with the Count Basie Orchestra at the President's Inaugural Ball (Jan. 19 1997), and spent January through July of 1996 touring with the Basie Orchestra. He was a frequent call back in '97 and recorded a live video with the band in NYC at the well-known jazz venue Birdland. He was featured on Tito Puente's 1996 CD release Jazzin, a collaboration CD with Tito Puente, Puente's latin rhythm section and the Count Basie Orchestra. Rich was one of 15 semifinalists in the Thelonious Monk International Drum Competition in October 1992. In the past ten years he has played numerous times with pianist Marian McPartland, guitarist Gene Bertoncini, trumpet legend Dizzy Gillespie, guitar legend Joe Pass, and trumpet/flugelhorn great Clark Terry.

Thompson has recorded numerous times in the U.S. and France with renowned pianists Bill Dobbins (Paradise, Glass Enclosure and others.) and as a co-leader with James Williams (of Art Blakey fame) on the CD titled Eventually. He has also recorded/performed with singer Bobby McFerrin and with the Eastman Jazz Trio featuring pianist Harold Danko and bassist Jeff Campbell. Most recently, Rich can be heard with Trio East. The Trio has been performing in New York City and has been written up in the NYC newspaper All About Jazz on several occasions in the spring and summer of 2005.

Rich has written two drum set books which include Drum Set Solos Vol. I (Kendor Music) and Billy Hart's Jazz Drumming (Advance Music). Both books are widely used by students and teachers, and his drum set transcriptions have been featured in DownBeat magazine.

This album contains no booklet.