René Thomas (25 February 1926 – 3 January 1975) was considered the best European jazz guitarist of his generation by fellow musicians and critics.
Born in 1926, René Thomas learned the guitar at the age of 10 thanks to his sister's partner, an Italian amateur guitarist. He began to perform on stage around the age of thirteen in orchestras in the Liège region. In 1943, in Brussels, René played and recorded with the "ball" orchestra of accordionist Hubert Simplisse. At the time, his style was very much influenced by that of Django Reinhardt (the latter, during a tour, dedicated a photo "To the future Belgian Django") to him.
After the war, he began to play with the rising stars of Belgian jazz, including saxophonists Jacques Pelzer and especially Bobby Jaspar. In the early 1950s, René Thomas began to take an interest in bebop but also in cool jazz and the music of Lennie Tristano. When his father died in 1952, René Thomas inherited the family burlap bag factory, but he preferred to embark on a real career as a professional musician. To do this, he moved to Paris where he performed extensively in clubs. He met Jimmy Gourley who introduced him to the music of guitarist Jimmy Raney. Thomas was inspired by Raney's style and that of Reinhardt and forged a very personal style of his own. Between 1954 and 1956, René Thomas, who was beginning to be recognized by his peers, recorded several records under his own name or as a sideman for Vogue and for Barclay.
In the meantime, his sister Juliette moved to Montreal, Quebec, and Bobby Jaspar left for New York. In April 1956, René Thomas moved to Montreal with his family and his friend, drummer José Bourguignon. Thomas stayed in Montreal for 5 years, where he was a key member of the Montreal jazz community, which was very lively at the time. He often traveled from Montreal to New York, working with American stars. He could be heard with established musicians such as Jackie McLean, Sonny Rollins or future stars such as Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. He was reunited with his former accomplice Bobby Jaspar for the recording of an album by pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi. In 1960, he recorded, under his own name, the remarkable album "Guitar Groove" with J. R. Monterose on saxophone.
René Thomas (g); Benoît Quersin (b); José Bourguignon (d) Recorded June 30, 1961, Comblain-La-Tour, Belgium
In 1961, he returned to Belgium with his family and Burgundian. René Thomas and Bobby Jaspar formed the brilliant but short-lived "International Jazz Quintet". In 1962, the two accomplices were back in Italy, recording for RCA an album by Chet Baker ("Chet Is back") and a film score composed by John Lewis ("Una Storia Milanese") by Eriprando Visconti.
During 1962, Bobby Jaspar had serious health problems and Thomas performed with a new formation with Jacques Pelzer on saxophone. Organist Lou Bennett suggested that René Thomas put together a trio with Kenny Clarke on drums. This "organ combo" became one of the flagship formations of Parisian clubs. At the Antibes festival, René Thomas performed as an accompanist for the organist Jimmy Smith. In 1963, René Thomas was intensely active. He recorded as a sideman with musicians such as Lou Bennett, Sonny Criss, Jacques Pelzer and Ingfried Hoffmann. He recorded under his name, for Barclay, the superb album "Meeting Mister Thomas".
During the next two years, his collaboration with Lou Bennett was particularly prolific, but he still performed with his own band or in other formations. In 1965, for example, he was briefly part of Lee Konitz's team. In 1966, René Thomas, despite being acclaimed by the critics, withdrew from the music scene for a time. A rather dark period began, during which the guitarist, depressed, remained at home most of the time.
In 1968, a producer made him make a comeback with a band made up of little-known musicians. He recorded with Eddy Louiss and Kenny Clarke, among others. In 1969, he could be heard with Vince Benedetti, then J. R. Monterose. He recorded as a sideman for Lucky Thompson ("A Lucky Songbook In Europe"). The same year, René Thomas performed in a trio which, for almost two years, was a real success: on the Hammond organ, Eddy Louiss; on drums, Kenny Clarke, then Bernard Lubat. In late 1970, Stan Getz hired the band to accompany him for concerts in Europe. It was with this group that Getz recorded, for Verve, in March 1971, the remarkable double album "Dynasty".
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| Thomas with Sonny Rollings |
In 1972, René Thomas played with Pelzer. They form the TPL (Thomas-Pelzer Limited). The music is also inspired by modal jazz. In 1974, René Thomas played again in a trio with Eddy Louiss and Bernard Lubat, then in a group set up with the pianist Raymond Le Sénéchal. He also played with Lou Bennett and drummer Al Jones. At the end of 1974, the three musicians went on tour in Spain. It was there, on January 3, 1975, that René Thomas died of a heart attack. He is buried in the Robermont Cemetery in Liège. (Edited from Wikipedia)
Here’s a video clip of “I Remember Sonny” with Bobby Jaspar: flute, René Thomas: guitar, Amedeo Tommasi: piano, Benoît Quersin: bass and Daniel Humair: drums. Bruxelles 1962