Butch Thompson, Piano Man

Driving home after dinner tonight, we happened to hear Butch Thompson playing piano on "A Prairie Home Companion". Butch had been a regular on the show a while ago, but he's moved on and is only an occasional guest these days.

When I got home, I went searching (that's what I do, after all!) to see if any of Butch's performances were online. I found this recording of him playing "A Solas", the piece we'd heard on the radio:

I also was able to find a few pieces of him playing in various ensembles. Although his solo piano is awesome, he's also quite an asset to a band -- we were fortunate enough to have him at one of our Blue Tent Parties a few years ago.

In addition to his performing skills, he writes frequently about jazz. He's considered a Jelly Roll Morton expert, and was a consultant for the Broadway show "Jelly’s Last Jam".