Danny Thompson

he pre-eminent double-bass player in British folk/rock/jazz/whatever for the last thirty years, a list of Danny Thompson's musical partnerships reads like a Burke's Peerage of Music. He has played with - among many others - Pentangle, Sandy Denny, John Martyn, Richard Thompson, Nick Drake, Nanci Griffith, Eddi Reader, Aly Bain and Paul Brady.

As well as his bass playing he is known and loved by Fairport fans for being a regular compère at the Cropredy Festival, where his jokes are among the worst ever heard.  A standard line is "The next request is for Ivy who is one hundred and eleven today.  Big hand for Ivy on her birthday.  Oh, I'm sorry, that should read Ivy who is ill today."

The three albums on the left feature not only his playing but his composing and arranging skills for his group "Whatever".  I had the pleasure of seeing the group on Friday 6th March 1992 at the Junction in Cambridge where they decided to play in the bar rather than the theatre.  One of the best and most intimate gigs I have ever attended.