Profile of Danny Thompson on Famous Like Me

Danny Thompson is a British musician, who plays the acoustic double bass. He has had a long musical career playing with a large variety of other musicians such as Richard Thompson (no relation), John Martyn, Pentangle and many others. He was a founder member of Pentangle. He is a Muslim convert.

Stylistically he favours jazz. His improvisatory style is very distinctive and can usually be identified at first hearing. He routinely creates growling twangs as well as high-register figures that complement the music. He is noted for his extensive use of the bow, especially to create eerie high-pitched notes as well as thundering bass backgrounds.

While he has his own album releases, his highest profile recordings are currently with Richard Thompson e.g. Mirror Blue, The Old Kit Bag, and the concert DVD release Richard Thompson Live in Austin Texas, from the Austin City Limits series.

Like many musicians, Danny Thompson's life has featured brushes with substance abuse. During his partnership with John Martyn, their drinking and the excessive behaviour it spawned became the stuff of legend. In one incident related by Martyn, he woke up after passing out on a hotel room floor, only to find himself under the rug which Thompson had nailed down, leaving only his head exposed. Thompson went about his business, eating breakfast etc., ignoring Martyn's pleas to let him loose.

External Links

• Danny Thompson's official website
• biography
• Thompson and Islam

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