Thompson Celebrates 25 Years of Freebop

  I  

Malachi Thompson and his Freebop Band will celebrate their 25th anniversary at Chicago’s Green Mill jazz club on Aug. 27 and 28.

In 1978, the trumpeter migrated to New York from Chicago and formed the first version of the Freebop Band.

Thompson defines “freebop” as the experimentation and harmonic freedom of avant-garde jazz combined with various forms of traditional bebop, conjoined with elements of swing and Afro-Cuban rhythms.

Over the years Thompson and the Freebop band have toured and performed throughout the U.S., Europe, the Caribbean and Africa. The group recently received a grant from Chamber Music America to fund new compositions for their 25th year.

For more information about the anniversary performances, contact the Green Mill at (773) 878-5552.



  • Ted_Nash_Alexa_Tarantino_by_Gilberto_Tadday_copy.jpg

    As Ted Nash, left, departs the alto saxophone chair for LCJO, Alexa Tarantino steps in as the band’s first female full-time member.

  • Coltrane_John_008_copy_2.jpg

    “This is one of the great gifts that Coltrane gave us — he gave us a key to the cosmos in this recording,” says John McLaughlin.

  • 2tx3p_BNJF2025LineupApr11080x1350--1_copy.jpg

    The Blue Note Jazz Festival New York kicks off May 27 with a James Moody 100th Birthday Celebration at Sony Hall.

  • Ethan_Iverson_by_David_Moressi_2024_copy.jpg

    “I’m certainly influenced by Geri Allen,” said Iverson, during a live Blindfold Test at the 31st Umbria Jazz Winter festival.

  • Isaiah_Collier_by_Michael_Jackson_2025.jpg

    “At the end of the day, once you’ve run out of differences, we’re left with similarities,” Collier says. “Cultural differences are mitigated through 12 notes.”


On Sale Now
May 2025
Branford Marsalis
Look Inside
Subscribe
Print | Digital | iPad