René Thomas - 25 februar 1927 - 3 januar 1975
Thomas var født i Liège, Belgien 25 februar 1927. Han var blandt de første europæiske moderne jazz spillere, som var lige så gode som amerikanske muskikere.
Han spillede med selveste Django Reinhardt som ung, og Djanogo anbefalede den ung mand til andre musikere.
Sammen med andre belgiske musikere som Francy Boland og Bobby Jaspar, flyttede Thomas til Paris sent i 40erne og tidligt i 50erne. Han inspillede nogen plader der med lokale musikere.
I 1956, rejste Thomas til USA og spillede sammen med bla. Miles Davis og Sonny Rollins, og han blev brugt på Sonny's plader "Sonny Rollins and the Big Brass".
Thomas bosatte sig i Montreal i nogle år, men var tilbage i USA til indspilning af "Guitar Groove", som var produceret af Orrin Keepnews.
Både Thomas og Bobby Jaspar var med på Chet Baker's "Italian Sessions" (Chet is Back), og var på turnee med Baker i Europa. Efter Jesper's alt for tidlige død i 1963, flyttede Thomas permanant tilbage til Europa . Han arbejdede sammen med organisterne Lou Bennett og Eddy Louiss, og americanere på tournee som Stan Getz og Lee Konitz.
René Thomas døde af et hjerteanfald i Santander, mens han var på turne i Spanien - kun 47 år gammel.
Playlist 1. How About You? (Ralph Freed/Burton Lane) (2:35) René Thomas - guitar; René Urtreger - piano; Benoit Quersin or Jean-Marie Ingrand - bass; Jean-Louis Viale - drums. Studio Magellan, 17 April 1954. Barclay LP 84 030.
2. Indiana (Mac Donald/Hanley) (2:01) Rene Thomas Quintet. René Thomas - guitar; Buzz Gardner - trumpet; Henri Renaud - piano; Jean-Marie Ingrand - bass; Jean-Louis Viale - drums. Paris, 5 May 1954. Vogue LD 219. 3. Thomasia (Thomas/Renaud) (4:25) Same personnel and date as 2.
4. A Night In Tunisia (Dizzy Gillespie/Frank Paparelli) (4:41) René Thomas Modern Group. René Thomas - guitar; Roland Ronchaud - piano; Benoit Quersin - bass; José Bourguignon - drums. Paris, 22 March 1956. Polydor EP 20 706.
5. Grand Street (Rollins) (6:08) Sonny Rollins - tenor sax; Nat Adderley - cornet; Reunald Jones, Ernie Royal, Clark Terry - trumpets; Billy Byers, Jimmy Cleveland, Frank Rehak - trombones; Don Butterfield - tuba; Dick Katz - piano; René Thomas - guitar; Henry Grimes - bass; Roy Haynes - drums; Ernie Wilkins - conductor/arranger. NYC, 11 July 1958. Sonny Rollins and the Big Brass, Metrojazz SE 1002.
6. Green Street Scene (J.R. Monterose) (7:36) René Thomas - guitar; J.R. Monterose - tenor sax; Hod O'Brien - piano; Teddy Kotick - bass; Albert Heath - drums. New York, 7 & 8 September 1960. Guitar Groove, Jazzland 27. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju6gDe6Tne0
7. Like Someone In Love (Burke/Van Heusen) (5:54) Same personnel and date as 6, but omit J.R. Monterose. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O35l1eeWKmk
8. All Morning Long (R. Garland) (10:00) René Thomas - guitar; Benoît Quersin - bass; José Bourguignon - drums Recorded 30 June 1961, Comblain-La-Tour, Belgium https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r49-UYiymTQ
9. Ballata in Forma Di Blues (Amadeo Tomassi) (10:02) Chet Baker Sextet. Chet Baker - trumpet; René Thomas - guitar; Bobby Jaspar - tenor sax, flute; Amadeo Tommasi - piano; Benoit Quersin - bass; Daniel Humair - drums. RCA Studios Rome, 5-15 January 1962. Chet Is Back, RCA Victor , PML 10307 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCJlx8mM6m0
10. Pent-up House (Rollins) (6:56) Same personnel and date as 9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj9DdbJfzNs
11. Oleo (Rollins) (10:05) Bobby Jasper Quartet. Bobby Jaspar - tenor sax; René Thomas - guitar; Benoit Quersin - bass; Daniel Humair - drums. Ronnie Scott's Club, January 1962. The Bobby Jaspar Quartet, Mole Jazz CD Mole 11.
12. Au Clair De La Lune (Trad.) (3:42) Ingfried Hoffman - Hammond organ; René Thomas - guitar; Helmut Kandelberger - bass; Klaus Weiss - drums. Hamburg, 14 July 1963. Hoffman's Hammond Tales, Philips 840 437.
13. Echoes (Lou Bennett) (6:54) Lou Bennett - organ; René Thomas - guitar; Kenny Clarke - drums; The Paris Jazz All Stars, incl. Donald Byrd - trumpet. March 1966 Paris. Lou Bennett, Pentecostal Feeling, Philips LP 70 325.
14. No Smoking (Horace Silver) (6:20) Eddy Louiss. Eddy Louiss - organ; Rene Thomas - guitar; Kenny Clarke - drums. Studios Davout, Paris, February/March 1970. CY Records, CY 30004. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZO8z99Eqj8
15. Blue Tempo (René Thomas) (8:05) Same personnel and details as 14. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XEmvKERCNc
16. Invitation (Kaper) (5:41) Stan Getz Quartet. Stan Getz - tenor sax; René Thomas - guitar; Eddy Louiss - organ; Bernard Lubat - drums. Loosdrecht International Jazz Festival, 7 August 1971. Dutch Radio broadcast.
17. Ballad For Leo (Thomas) (14:12) Same personnel and date as track 16.
18. Dum! Dum! Dum! (Louiss) (7:21) Same personnel as 16. France (?) unknown date, March - October 1971. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWcRtztr35A
19. Blue Tempo > Dum! Dum! Dum! (Thomas, Louiss) (10:02) Eddy Louiss - organ; René Thomas - guitar, Bernard Lubat - drums. Possibly 24 June, Espace Pierre Cardin, Paris? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgVeyshjQvM
20. My Wife Maria (Thomas) (11:25) René Thomas Quartet. René Thomas - guitar; Rob Franken - electric piano; Koos Serierse - bass; Louis Debji - drums. De Boerenhofstede, Laren, Holland 21 February 1974. René Thomas - Hommage à ... René Thomas, Timeless Records TROS/Timeless SPJ 398.
21. Round About Midnight (Monk) (10:25) Same personnel and details as 20.
22. Theme For Manuel (Thomas) (5:45) René Thomas Trio - René Thomas - guitar; Eddy Loiuss - organ; John Loius Viale - drums. French TV broadcast, unknown date but maybe 9 May 1969. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYs0vpfjf3g