Ed Thigpen obituary: Classy jazz drummer with Oscar Peterson, he was known as 'Mr Taste'
Peter Vacher: guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 24 February 2010 18.50 GMT
If the ideal preparation for a jazz drummer is to be the son of a jazz drummer, then Ed Thigpen, who has died aged 79, was well placed. His father, Ben Thigpen, was a distinguished performer in the swing era, known for his long tenure with Andy Kirk's Clouds of Joy but, ironically, played little part in his son's musical progress once he had separated from the boy's mother.
With or without his father's tutelage, Ed Thigpen far surpassed his father in both his jazz accomplishments and his prominence in the genre, earning the title "Mr Taste" for his sensitivity and classy control. Marked out by peers and commentators for his exceptional yet understated command of percussive techniques, especially when using wire brushes, Thigpen worked and recorded with a wide range of musicians but was best known for his association with Oscar Peterson. In six years with the Canadian pianist, he made an array of highly regarded albums, working alongside the bassist Ray Brown in what for many was Peterson's finest trio.
Excellent trio, indeed. I have a vinyl LP record.
Thigpen was born in Chicago and spent his infancy in St Louis, where his father lived, but moved with his mother to Los Angeles in 1935 after his parents had split up. After the death of his mother when he was 12, the boy was placed with a family who had little interest in his musical aspirations and, indeed, actively disliked the drums. Despite this, he persevered and took lessons. In what was a highly segregated city, Thigpen mixed with many other African-American youngsters who aspired to be jazz musicians. At junior school, he participated in a three-way drum battle in which he came third, before moving on to the city's Jefferson high school. This establishment gained renown as a training ground for musicians because of the inspirational tuition provided by its music teacher, Samuel Browne.
Thigpen benefited from Browne's encouragement, as did the trumpeter Art Farmer, the saxophonist Dexter Gordon and the drummer Chico Hamilton, all of whom passed through the school swing band during the teacher's time. After a year in college studying sociology, Thigpen opted for the musical life – he had already played local gigs – and spent a year in St Louis with his father, whom he named, along with Count Basie's drummer Jo Jones, as his principal influence.
That is quite a roster of musicians.
By 1951 Thigpen was in New York, where he worked for six months with the ex-Duke Ellington trumpeter Cootie Williams's combo at Harlem's Savoy Ballroom before his military call-up. Posted first to Fort Ord, in California, where he was a drum instructor, he served in Korea with the Eighth Army band. During a visit to Tokyo, Thigpen encountered Peterson for the first time when the Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP) troupe was playing there. He knew then that he wanted to perform with Peterson and told Brown: "I need to play with this group." Four years later, Thigpen replaced the guitarist Herb Ellis in Peterson's trio, which had thus far managed without a percussionist.
Back in New York after demobilisation, Thigpen worked and recorded with the singer Dinah Washington and the pianists Toshiko Akiyoshi, Billy Taylor, Bud Powell and Lennie Tristano. The call from Peterson in 1959 led to a hectic period of travel, prestigious engagements and tours with the all-star JATP package, including visits to the UK. Thigpen impressed local critics with his bandstand authority, articulacy and courteous demeanour, often making time to conduct drum clinics and workshops. He was also a key presence on Peterson's recordings, including the critically lauded Songbook series and Night Train (1962), often cited as Peterson's finest album.
After leaving Peterson, Thigpen joined Ella Fitzgerald's backing group for a year from December 1965, took on studio work and then returned to her band in 1968, staying for a further four years before trading continents and moving permanently to Copenhagen. He said race was a factor in his decision but added: "In my case, it was the love of a woman." Using Denmark as his base, Thigpen built a considerable career as a bandleader, using younger Danish musicians and recording often. He linked up with other expatriate US musicians for club dates and tours, appearing at Ronnie Scott's in the 1990s with Roots, the all-star saxophone group, and was active as a teacher, running his own percussion studio. He wrote several drum manuals and was the subject of Don McLean's 2009 documentary film Ed Thigpen: Master of Time, Rhythm and Taste, its title an apt summary of Thigpen's personal and musical attributes.
Always impeccably dressed and gracious in manner, Thigpen had suffered from Parkinson's disease latterly, yet continued to perform, last appearing in public in October 2009. He is survived by his daughter Denise and his son Michael. Their mother, Inga-Lisa, died in 1981.
• Edmund Leonard Thigpen, jazz drummer and teacher, born 28 September 1930; died 13 January 2010
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