Renowned Percussionist Chester Thompson Releases Jazz/Fusion/Prog Album ‘Wake Up Call’.
A new jazz fusion/prog rock album from renowned percussionist Chester Thompson: ‘Wake-Up Call’
Released 31 January 2024
Pre-order from ProgRock.com's Essentials
For decades, drummer/percussionist Chester Thompson has proven himself as one of the most skilled, versatile and adored musicians in his field. ‘Wake-Up Call’, which is released on 31 January via ProgRock.com's Essentials, is his third album following the release of 1991’s ‘A Joyful Noise’ and 2019’s ‘Steppin’’.
On first listen, ‘Wake-Up Call’ is unmistakable Chester Thompson! Full of imaginatively complex and diverse – yet thoroughly accessible – arrangements. Performed by Thompson and a top-notch group of guests it encapsulates everything that’s made his career so remarkable, distinctive, and timeless.
The album sees Thompson exploring new musical territories and techniques; “… the way it came about is very different from anything else I’ve done” he exclaims! And the drive behind the record was during the Covid lock down…
Thompson continues… “At the start of it, I called [bassist] Robert “Peewee” Hill to see how he and his wife ([pianist] Michiko) were coping with the shutdown. Robert said they were just jamming with a drum machine. My response was, “Don't do that! Let me send you something to jam with.” I laid down a drum track and sent it to them and what they added to it blew me away. That turned into the third composition on the album, ‘Hide and Seek.’ So, I sent them another and that became ‘Sunrise’. That process continued over the course of the year, and eventually, we had the nine songs that comprise ‘Wake-Up Call’.”
As well as Michiko and Hill the album is full of musicians who Thompson has previously collaborated with either in the studio or live including his son Akil, Ronnie Vann, Caleb Quay, Brendan Harkin, Scheila Gonzalez, Jeff Coffin and Gary Hedden – the only exception to that rule being fellow percussionist Walter Rodriguez.
The recording was a communal creative process with Thompson allowing all collaborators to express themselves rather than act as a music director… “For me, it’s all about the joys of making music with friends, and I like the idea of coming up with music that’s focused on melodies and harmonies as opposed to highlighting drums.
“Everyone's parts were done in their home studios. This was the first project I've done where all my drum tracks were done at home. I have done individual songs for other people but drums on my previous albums were done in other studios. Because all of the recordings happened during the pandemic, all of us had to work individually.”
Chester Thompson has worked with iconic artists such as Santana, Genesis, Frank Zappa, and Weather Report. He has previously released two solo LPs ‘A Joyful Noise’ and ‘Steppin’. He also formed the band Chester Thompson Trio in 2011 with pianist Joe Davidian and bassist Mike Rinne they have released two albums ‘Approved’(2013) and ‘Simpler Times’ (2015
Wake-Up Call is available as a 16-bit or 24-bit digital download, CD and vinyl via
ProgRock.com's Essentials | Burning Shed | Bandcamp page
You can also check out lead singles “Sunrise” and “Wake-Up Call” on Apple Music,Last.fm, and Spotify
Chester Thompson Presents Wake-Up Call
Tracklist:
1. “Wake Up Call” (3:59)
2. “Sunrise” (4:46)
3. “Hide and Seek” (4:14)
4. “Feel It” (4:59)
5. “Smack ‘Em” (4:14)
6. “Sometime Soon” (4:38)
7. “Attitude” (4:23)
8. “Joy! Joy! Joy!” (4:11)
9. “Reflection” (5:40)
All songs composed by Chester Thompson, Michiko Hill and Robert “Peewee” Hill
Wake-Up Call Line-Up:
Chester Thompson – drums
Robert “Peewee” Hill – bass
Michiko Hill – piano and keyboards
Akil Thompson – guitar (1, 3, 8)
Caleb Quay – guitar (7 - 9)
Ronnie Vann – guitar (4)
Brendan Harkin – guitar (5), mixing engineer
Walter Rodriguez – percussion
Scheila Gonzalez – saxophone (7)
Jeff Coffin – saxophone (1)
Gary Hedden – mastering