redbeansandrice Thompson, Charles Edmund (Chuck), drums, born in New York City 6/4/26. Father was violin maker. Studied piano in NYC, later 5 years of drum study in Hollywood. While attending Jefferson High in LA, worked with Charlie Echols band for 6 months, 1943, then played weekends with Sachel McVea, father of Jack McVea. Worked with Sammy Yates, 1945, Cee Pee Johnson, 1946, Charlie Parker, Howard McGhee, Benny Carter, 1947, then intermittently with Dexter Gordon, Wardell Gray, and various combos around the West Coast. Worked with Hamp Hawes Trio ’55-56. Later with various groups in San Francisco; featured at the Cellar in the Cellar Quartet, San Francisco 1959.
damit waeren ein paar Sachen geklaert…
Interessant ist das Interview von Chico Hamilton. Mich würde ja interessieren, ob Alton Redd – Vater von Vi Redd – in der Nähe von Chuck wohnte. Und Lee Young (Jahrgang 1914) hatte mit Charlie Echols zu tun. Ob es möglich wäre, dass Chuck Alton Redd und Lee Young kannte, vielleicht sogar noch privaten Unterricht bei einem älteren Drummer hatte? Die Frage stelle ich mir ja so ein bißchen, weil er in Willowbrook ohne Vater aufwuchs. (Und wie könnte er ein eigenes Schlagzeug bekommen haben (vielleicht später), oder irgendwelche gebrauchten Teile?) Von Roy Porter müsste er eigentlich auch was gelernt haben, aber Porter kam etwas später nach LA. Bei Chico Hamilton lief es ungefähr so am Anfang….
CH:… Also my older brother was playing drums. This was in grade school, so we had to be no more than 8 or 9 years old. When he… They graduated from grade school in those days, right! So when he graduated, I figured, well, since he was my brother and plays the drums, I’m going to play the drums. And I just started. I had no idea what a drummer did really, but I just said, “Hey, I’m going to do it,” and I just did it.
TP: You did it on his pair of drums?
CH: Well, it was the school drums. The school had the drums. As a matter of fact, we rented the clarinet for two dollars a week (can you believe that?) from the school.
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