Danny Thompson, of Pentangle, RIP

[Michedelic]

So what if he was primarily an upright player, I found what he did over the course of many bands and sessions very inspiring. Not your usual acoustic guy anyway…

From Kate Bush to Pentangle to T-Rex, the late Danny Thompson’s musical brilliance knew no bounds

The bassist, who has died aged 86, was an extraordinary and wildly versatile presence in British music, bringing his personality into everything he played

www.theguardian.com

I got to see him perform with Richard Thompson as a duo and in a band context a number of times. One of my favorite bits of his session work beyond Nick Drake and Kate Bush was this under the radar David Sylvian track…

Danny Thompson - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Oddly]

A fantastic player for sure. His work with John Martyn and later on BBC's Transatlantic Sessions are where I came across him. A huge loss. RIP.

 

[Wyrdlow]

An awesome player for sure. I saw him many times as the compere to Fairport Convention's Cropredy festival over the years, and playing there with Richard Thomson, and John Martyn. A thoroughly likeable bloke, too. Some great memories. RIP, Danny.

 

[SteveCS]

This is sad news. I had the good fortune to see D.T. a few times, when he toured the 'Whatever' album with Tony Roberts and Bernie Holland. 'Victoria' only just made it under the low ceilings and slung monitors of the Moles' Club stage, but I was front-row standing within touching distance - I'm sure I heard as much acoustic as I did amplified sound. RIP, D.T.

@Michedelic - here's another one from under the rader, featuring Victoria's distinctive growl:

 

[ThudThudThud]

RIP to one of my favourite bass players. I saw him live with Richard Thompson's band (but not the one below).

 

[wagdog]

Danny first came to my attention with Pentangle, back in their heyday. Fantastic player with an amazing feel for the music. His Youtube channel is a fun place to browse some of his catalog. RIP.

 

[brianrost]

Sad news.

People usually call Pentangle “folk rock” but it wasn’t rock at all, it was a jazz rhythm section, Danny and drummer Terry Cox. The band covered a few Mingus tunes, two acoustic guitars, bass and drums.

He got to to play with a lot of great songwriters over the years, Nick Drake, Sandy Denny, John Martyn, Tim Buckley….and the list goes on and on.

In the late 80s he finally started a jazz band he called Whatever. Players included John Etheridge, Paul Dunmall, Alan Skidmore, Stan Tracey, Tony Roberts and Bernie Holland.

 

[ajkula66]

Ouch.

RIP sir, and than you for the music and the inspiration.

 

[Thumpa]

I liked his work with Darrell Scott. Showed me what a bass player could be.

 

[SteveCS]

Seemed like as good a time as any to give this another spin...

 

[BargeOn]

Dang! Another one I've missed. Thanks for the education, better late than never. That is a deep, intuitive understading of the music very few players have.
And FWIW, that was a thoughtful, well written obit. He clearly deserves the praise.

 

[CaptainLeisure]

RIP Danny. For my fellow Pentangle fans, there's a lot of live footage on YouTube. It's great to hear them again.