Vibraphonist
Composer/arranger
educator
“A terrific, swinging
vibraphonist and composer”
-JazzWax
about vance
Vance Thompson is a Grammy-nominated jazz musician, vibraphonist, composer, arranger and founding director of the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, a professional big band in Tennessee. His primary instrument for many years was the trumpet, before a medical issue provided him with a stark choice: stop playing music altogether or find a new path forward.
Featured Video
Tell It Like It Is, recorded live @ Rudy’s Jazz Room in Nashville, TN
Vance Thompson, composer & vibraphone
Steve Kovalcheck, guitar
Taber Gable, piano
Tommy Sauter, bass
Marcus Finnie, drums
new album
My new album, Lost and Found, is available on all streaming platforms now.
What People Are Saying about Lost and found
Four Stars. “[Lost and Found] is a joyous, jubilant portrait of musical rebirth that chimes with the rest of this irresistible album. In that sense, it’s very special. Just like its remarkable creator.”
— CHRIS PEARSON, THE TIMES
“Vance is a terrific, swinging vibraphonist and composer. Recording since 1995 in big band and small group settings, Vance has assembled a terrific group on this new recording: Taber Gable (p), Steve Kovalcheck (g), Tommy Sauter (b) and Marcus Finnie (d). Six of the tracks were composed by Vance, and songs range from hard bop to funk and fusion. Solid all the way through.”
— MARC MYERS, JAZZWAX
“Perhaps the most remarkable achievement of Lost and Found is that, despite the change of instrument, Vance Thompson’s musical voice remains intact. If anything, it may be sharper, more inquisitive, more adventurous than before. Whether this heightened inventiveness is the product of necessity, maturity, or liberation is open to interpretation. What is certain is that Lost and Found stands as a powerful statement about resilience, artistic evolution, and the enduring vitality of modern jazz.”
— THIERRY DE CLEMENSAT, PARIS-MOVE
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