Farewell Danny Thompson

[Dankology]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg_Utj4Aljc

[steve-bbb]

good excuse to post this ... again  

 

 

 

[TheRev]

Just found out what this post is about. Another legend gone.

Weirdly enough, I put on my Danny Thompson 'Wotcher' t shirt this morning.

[super al]

That's sad news, I love Danny's bass on those John Martyn records. I spoke to him briefly in the bar of the Winchester Theatre Royal after a sparsely attended gig there. 

 

I think at the start of the gig he acknowledged and spoke about the lack of an audience but the performance he and his band gave was excellent, that was around '92/'93 I reckon.

 

The only other time I saw him live was with Martyn at Salisbury City Hall, I think he did Blue Monk. There was a fair bit of banter between them, probably the main draw for the tour 😄. 

 

 

 

 

[fleabag]

DT was the URB player of all time. For me at least. His was work with Pentangle and later Martyn was pure magic.  What a shame, a one off.

 

 

[MrCrane]

I've been in awe of Danny ever since I heard this back in the early '70s.

 

 

[The fasting showman]

 

 

What a legend, RIP 

[fleabag]

That was excellent  😁

[StingRayBoy42]

The absolute Daddy of Double Bass... RIP

[Jo.gwillim]

I love his playing so much.  Was as big a shock as hearing Jimi Hendrix had died. He always added so much but never got in the way of the song.

Thank you Danny.

 

 

[Phil Starr]

One of the reasons I fell in love with the bass. I’ve very fond memories of listening to Pentangle on John Peel as a teenager. The things he did on bass were just so exciting.

[Magister Ludi]

danny.......

[YeastieB]

that is sad to hear, he was on so many great records including this own releases

[Beedster]

There are some very talented upright and fretless players out there, but few if any could bring the magic that he bought. I remember the first time I heard him play, with Martyn, it was a definitive moment at which something inside me changed forever. I didn't especially like the music to be honest, but was completely drawn in by the magical sound. It was hypnotic. RIP Danny, you will be remembered by many and missed by many, but what a life and what a contribution ❤️

[Bagman]

"Happiness Is Easy" by Talk Talk is very good 

 

RIP Mr Thompson 

[Bagman]

"Rubberband Girl" - Kate Bush

 

a bouncy song and bassline 

[msb]

I loved Pentangle , and the Martyn songs , and I felt gutted when I heard he passed. I’ve looked up a lot of YouTube videos in the last several days. Legend.

[ezbass]

I remember the first time I heard Danny play on something and was struck by the fantastic tone emanating from the stereo. It was David Sylvian’s Ink in the Well. That was back in the mid ‘80s and still no one else has come close to having a tone that good to my ears. We were blessed to have had him and are bereft now that he has gone. However, we’ll always have that tone on a recording somewhere. RIP, Danny, we’ll not likely see your kind again. 

Edited September 30 by ezbass

[lowdown]

Danny and Béla !!

 

 👍

 

 

[Clarky]

On 29/09/2025 at 22:49, ezbass said:

I remember the first time I heard Danny play on something and was struck by the fantastic tone emanating from the stereo. It was David Sylvian’s Ink in the Well. That was back in the mid ‘80s and still no one else has come close to having a tone that good to my ears. We were blessed to have had him and are bereft now that he has gone. However, we’ll always have that tone on a recording somewhere. RIP, Danny, we’ll not likely see your kind again. 

The Ink in the Well was also my introduction to DT back in the 80s and I have never heard any other player since get close to that characteristic mix of air, power and string vibration on the board. Very funny and self effacing guy too