Quick Facts
Biography
Barbara Gracey Thompson MBE is an English jazz saxophonist, flautist and composer. She studied clarinet, flute, piano and classical composition at the Royal College of Music, but the music of Duke Ellington and John Coltrane made her shift her interests to jazz and saxophone. Since 1967, she has been married to drummer Jon Hiseman of Colosseum.
Career
Around 1970, Thompson was part of Neil Ardley's New Jazz Orchestra and appeared on albums by Colosseum. Starting in 1975, she was involved in the foundation of three bands:
- United Jazz and Rock Ensemble, a 'band of bandleaders' with Wolfgang Dauner (p), Volker Kriegel (g), Albert Mangelsdorff (tb), Eberhard Weber (b), Ian Carr (tp), Charlie Mariano (sax), Ack van Rooyen (tp) and Jon Hiseman (dr).
- Barbara Thompson's Jubiaba (9 piece Latin/rock band) including Peter Lemer, Roy Babbington, Henry Lowther, Ian Hamer, Derek Wadsworth, Trevor Tomkins, Bill Le Sage, Glyn Thomas.
- Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia, her current working band with Peter Lemer (p), Billy Thompson (v), Dave Ball (b) and Jon Hiseman on drums.
She was awarded the MBE in 1996 for services to music. Due to Parkinson's disease diagnosed in 1997, she retired as an active saxophonist in 2001 with a farewell tour. After a period of working as a composer exclusively, she returned to the stage in 2003 to replace the unwell Dick Heckstall-Smith during Colosseum's "Tomorrow's Blues" tour, and in 2005 she performed live with Paraphernalia in their "Never Say Goodbye" tour. Since 2004 she has been a permanent member of Colosseum.
Thompson has worked closely with Andrew Lloyd Webber on musicals such as Cats and Starlight Express and on his Requiem. She has written several classical compositions, music for film and television, a musical of her own and songs for the United Jazz and Rock Ensemble, Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia and her big band Moving Parts.
She played the incidental music in the popular ITV police series A Touch of Frost starring David Jason. She also played flute on Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds.
Since 1967, Thompson has been married to Colosseum drummer Jon Hiseman. Their son Marcus was born in 1972, and their daughter Anna (now known as singer/songwriter Ana Gracey) in 1975.
Discography
| Year | Album | Performer |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | The Man Who Took the Valise Off the Floor of Grand Central Station at Noon | The She Trinity |
| 1968 | Angle | Howard Riley Trio |
| 1969 | Valentyne Suite | Colosseum |
| 1970 | Daughter of Time | Colosseum |
| 1970 | Michael Gibbs | Michael Gibbs |
| 1971 | Little Big Band | Keef Hartley Band |
| 1973 | The Beginning – Vol. 6: Keef Hartley Band | Keef Hartley Band |
| 1976 | The Roaring Silence | Manfred Mann's Earth Band |
| 1976 | Kaleidoscope of Rainbows | Neil Ardley |
| 1977 | Live in Schuetzenhaus | United Jazz + Rock Ensemble |
| 1977 | NDR Jazzworkshop '77 | Various Artists |
| 1978 | Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia | Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia |
| 1978 | Barbara Thompson's Jubiaba | Barbara Thompson |
| 1978 | Variations | Andrew Lloyd Webber |
| 1978 | Harmony of the Spheres | Neil Ardley |
| 1978 | Teamwork | United Jazz + Rock Ensemble |
| 1979 | Wilde Tales | Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia |
| 1979 | Tell Me on a Sunday | Marti Webb |
| 1979 | The Break Even Point | United Jazz + Rock Ensemble |
| 1980 | Live in Concert | Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia |
| 1980 | Chance | Manfred Mann's Earth Band |
| 1981 | Cats | Andrew Lloyd Webber |
| 1981 | Live in Berlin | United Jazz + Rock Ensemble |
| 1981 | Zwischenbilanz –Das Beste aus den Jahren 1977 –1981 | United Jazz + Rock Ensemble |
| 1982 | Mother Earth | Barbara Thompson |
| 1982 | Ghosts | Barabara Thompson/Rod Argent |
| 1983 | Cool Cat | Jeff Wohlgenannt and Friends |
| 1983 | Requiem | Andrew Lloyd Webber |
| 1984 | Pure Fantasy | Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia |
| 1984 | United Live Opus Sechs | United Jazz + Rock Ensemble |
| 1985 | Frauen – Power | Various Artists |
| 1985 | Shadow Show | Barbara Thompson/Rod Argent |
| 1985 | Live im Berliner Metropol – Theater | Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia |
| 1986 | Heavenly Bodies | Barbara Thompson |
| 1986 | Ganz schoen heiss, Man! About Time Too! | Jon Hiseman |
| 1987 | Highlights II | United Jazz + Rock Ensemble |
| 1988 | A Cry from the Heart | Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia Live in London |
| 1990 | Songs from the Center of the Earth | Barbara Thompson |
| 1991 | Perspective '92 | Various Artists |
| 1991 | Breathless | Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia |
| 1992 | Round Seven | United Jazz + Rock Ensemble |
| 1993 | Everlasting Flame | Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia |
| 1995 | Barbara Song | Barbara Thompson and the Medici String Quartet |
| 1995 | Lady Saxophone | Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia |
| 1996 | Die Neunte von United | United Jazz + Rock Ensemble |
| 1996 | Women's Music from Celestial Harmonies | Various Artists |
| 1998 | Shifting Sands | Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia |
| 1998 | The Sound Inside / Music and Architecture | Various Artists |
| 1999 | X | United Jazz + Rock Ensemble |
| 2000 | Thompson's Tangos and Other Soft Dances | Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia |
| 2001 | Cuff Clout | Kate Westbrook and Mike Westbrook |
| 2003 | In the Eye of a Storm | Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia |
| 2004 | 2006 | Manfred Mann '06 with Manfred Mann's Earth Band |
| 2005 | Never Say Goodbye | Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia |
| 2007 | Live 05 | Colosseum |
| 2011 | George Martin Presents | Barbara Thompson |
| 2014 | Live '05 (DVD) | Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia |
| 2015 | The Last Fandango | Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia |