Charles Thompson – The Neglected Professor

Description

Charles Thompson – The Neglected Professor
Delmark DE 738 – Euphonic Series
Compact Disc

Charles Thomspon, born in 1891, first met his mentor stride pianist James P. Johnson around 1912. In 1916 Thompson became the Missouri State Champion Ragtime Pianist. He combined his lyrical Midwestern ragtime with the blues, and pointed the way east to the Harlem style that would become the jazz piano mainstream. The 26 performances (eight previously unissued) on The Neglected Professor are culled from two informal parties in the early ’60s, one of which was hosted by ragophile Trebor Tichenor who wrote the descriptive notes.