Ed Thigpen Dies at 79
Sad news that Ed Thigpen, father of modern brush technique, has passed away.
From The Chicago Tribune:
Jazz lovers called him “Mr. Taste,” and the nickname couldn’t have been more fitting.
Always fashionably dressed — and sounding as impeccable as he looked — Ed Thigpen conveyed elegance in every aspect of his life and art.
At the same time, his ability to generate propulsive, hard-hitting swing rhythm made him a driving force in pianist Oscar Peterson’s great trio of the late 1950s and ’60s, which also included bassist Ray Brown.
This high-profile spot established Mr. Thigpen, born in Chicago and raised in Los Angeles, as an international figure. It also made him a featured player at Chicago’s long-gone London House, where Peterson’s trio enjoyed extended residencies.
Mr. Thigpen, 79, died Wednesday, Jan. 13, in Copenhagen, said his daughter, Denise. The drummer, who had moved to Denmark in 1972, performed regularly through October. He was hospitalized in the last two weeks with “weak lungs and weak heart,” said his daughter, speaking from Copenhagen.
