Ed Thigpen
Edmund Leonard Thigpen (December 28, 1930 – January 13, 2010) was an American jazz drummer, best known for his work with the Oscar Peterson trio from 1959 to 1965. Thigpen also performed with the Billy Taylor trio from 1956 to 1959. Biography. Born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, Thigpen was raised in Los Angeles, California, and attended Thomas Jefferson High School, where Art Farmer, Dexter Gordon and Chico Hamilton also attended. After majoring in sociology at Los Angeles City College, Thigpen returned to East St. Louis for one year to pursue music while living with his father who had  been playing with Andy Kirk's Clouds of Joy. His father, Ben Thigpen, was a drummer who played with Andy Kirk for sixteen years during the 1930s and 1940s. Thigpen first worked professionally in New York City with the Cootie Williams orchestra from 1951 to 1952 at the Savoy Ballroom. During this time he played with musicians such as Dinah Washington, Gil Mellé, Oscar Pettiford, Eddie Vinson, Paul Quinichette, Ernie Wilkins, Charlie Rouse, Lennie Tristano, Jutta Hipp, Johnny Hodges, Dorothy Ashby, Bud Powell, and Billy Taylor. In 1959, he replaced guitarist Herb Ellis in the Oscar Peterson Trio in Toronto , Ontario, Canada. In 1961 he recorded in Los Angeles, featuring on the Teddy Edwards–Howard McGhee Quintet album entitled "Together Again" for the Contemporary label with Phineas Newborn Jr. and Ray Brown. After leaving Peterson, Thigpen recorded the album "Out of the Storm" as a leader for Verve in 1966. He then went on to tour with Ella Fitzgerald from 1967 to 1972. In 1972, Thigpen moved to Copenhagen, joining several other American jazz musicians who had settled in that city over the previous two decades. There he worked with fellow American expatriates, including Kenny Drew, Ernie Wilkins, Thad Jones , as well as leading Danish jazz musicians such as Svend Asmussen, Mads Vinding, Alex Riel and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen. He also played with a variety of other leading musicians of the time, such as Clark Terry, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Milt Jackson and Monty Alexander. Thigpen died peacefully after a brief period in Hvidovre Hospital in Copenhagen on January 13, 2010. He had been hospitalized for heart and lung problems and was also suffering from Parkinson's disease. He is buried at Vestre Kirkegård. Awards and recognition. Thigpen was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 2002 . Discography. As sideman. With Gene Ammons With Toshiko Akiyoshi With Dorothy Ashby With Kenny Burrell With Benny Carter With Kenny Drew With Art Farmer With Dexter Gordon With Johnny Griffin With Jutta Hipp With Duke Jordan With Mundell Lowe With Howard McGhee and Teddy Edwards With Gil Mellé With Oscar Pettiford With Oscar Peterson With Paul Quinichette With Teddy Charles With Tony Ortega With Frank Minion With Teddy Edwards–Howard McGhee Quintet With Ella Fitzgerald: With Horace Parlan With Charlie Rouse and Paul Quinichette With Billy Taylor With Cal Tjader With Paul Quinichette and Charlie Rouse With Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson  With Frank Wess With Webster Young With Svend Asmussen With Jack van Poll: With Oliver Jones: With John Lindberg, Albert Mangelsdorff & Eric Watson: With Eric Watson and Mark Dresser: With Ernie Wilkins on the Everest label: With Kai Winding and Curtis Fuller With Kresten Osgood