Vibraphonist
Composer/arranger
educator
“A terrific, swinging
vibraphonist and composer”
-JazzWax
about vance
Vance Thompson is a Grammy-nominated jazz musician, vibraphonist, composer, arranger and founding director of the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, a professional big band in Tennessee. His primary instrument for many years was the trumpet, before a medical issue provided him with a stark choice: stop playing music altogether or find a new path forward.
Featured Video
Tell It Like It Is, recorded live @ Rudy’s Jazz Room in Nashville, TN
Vance Thompson, composer & vibraphone
Steve Kovalcheck, guitar
Taber Gable, piano
Tommy Sauter, bass
Marcus Finnie, drums
new album
My new album, Lost and Found, is available on all streaming platforms now.
What People Are Saying about Lost and found
Four Stars. “[Lost and Found] is a joyous, jubilant portrait of musical rebirth that chimes with the rest of this irresistible album. In that sense, it’s very special. Just like its remarkable creator.”
— CHRIS PEARSON, THE TIMES
“What is most remarkable is that Thompson sounds like he has been playing the vibraphone all his life. While regret for what he lost is understandable, delight in what he found is even more appropriate, especially in light of this remarkable illustration of his composure and endurance. As Sinatra once sang, there are times when things can be ‘even lovelier, the second time around.’”
— JACK BOWERS, ALL ABOUT JAZZ
“Perhaps the most remarkable achievement of Lost and Found is that, despite the change of instrument, Vance Thompson’s musical voice remains intact. If anything, it may be sharper, more inquisitive, more adventurous than before. Whether this heightened inventiveness is the product of necessity, maturity, or liberation is open to interpretation. What is certain is that Lost and Found stands as a powerful statement about resilience, artistic evolution, and the enduring vitality of modern jazz.”
— THIERRY DE CLEMENSAT, PARIS-MOVE
“A debut that is as significant as it is surprising. The opening track, ‘Tell It Like It Is,’ serves as a clear statement of intent: it features a brilliant swing feel reminiscent of a classic standard, immediately showcasing not only Thompson’s performance skills but also his compositional talent, characterized by writing that is both elegant and accessible…. highly recommended for its remarkable blend of talent and profound understanding of the jazz idiom”
— Vittorio Pio, jazzit.it
“Together with a superbly coordinated band...they created an album that impresses from the first note to the last. The compositions are well-thought-out, melodic, and open, the improvisations generously spaced. Each musician is given room to develop without the overall flow ever being lost.”
— jacek brun, jazz-fun
“Far from being a case of "lost and found," then, his debut as a vibraphone virtuoso is a fine showcase of eclecticism, blending his visceral passion for swing with an unexpected command of the muscularity of funk (the lanky rendition of Chick Corea’s Bud Powell) and fusion (*My Three Suns*). Indomitable”
— elio bussolino, rockerilla
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