Barbara Gracey Thompson MBE (27 July 1944 – 9 July 2022) was an English jazz saxophonist, flautist and composer. She studied clarinet, flute, piano and classical composition at the Royal College of Music, but the music of Duke Ellington and John Coltrane made her shift her interests to jazz and saxophone. She was married to drummer Jon Hiseman of Colosseum from 1967 until his death in 2018.

Career Around 1970, Thompson was part of Neil Ardley's New Jazz Orchestra and appeared on albums by Colosseum. Beginning in 1975, she was involved in the foundation of three bands: United Jazz and Rock Ensemble, a "band of bandleaders" with Wolfgang Dauner (p), Volker Kriegel (g), Albert Mangelsdorff (tb), Eberhard Weber (b), Ian Carr (tp), Charlie Mariano (sax), Ack van Rooyen (tp) and Jon Hiseman (dr). Barbara Thompson's Jubiaba (9-piece Latin/rock band) including Peter Lemer, Roy Babbington, Henry Lowther, Ian Hamer, Derek Wadsworth, Trevor Tomkins, Bill Le Sage, Glyn Thomas. Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia, a band with Peter Lemer (p), Billy Thompson (v), Dave Ball (b) and Jon Hiseman on drums.

She was awarded the MBE in 1996 for services to music. Due to Parkinson's disease, which was diagnosed in 1997, she retired as an active saxophonist in 2001 with a farewell tour. After a period of working as a composer exclusively, she returned to the stage in 2003 for a tour with Colosseum.Colosseum live at Rockpalast, September 27, 2003 (YouTube)

After she was hospitalised with atrial fibrillation, her attendance in an accident and emergency department was featured in an episode of the Channel 4 fly-on-the-wall television documentary 24 Hours in A&E in October 2020.

Thompson worked closely with Andrew Lloyd Webber on musicals such as Cats and Starlight Express, his Requiem, and Lloyd Webber's 1978 classical-fusion album Variations. She wrote several classical compositions, music for film and television, a musical of her own and songs for the United Jazz and Rock Ensemble, Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia and her big band Moving Parts. She was a regular, along with her husband drummer Jon Hiseman and bassist David "Dill" Katz in the underground "Cellar Bar" at South Hill Park Arts Centre in Bracknell during the late 1970s and 1980s.

She played the incidental music in the ITV police series A Touch of Frost, starring David Jason. She also played flute on Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds.

Personal life and death Thompson was married to Colosseum drummer Jon Hiseman, from 1967 until his death in June 2018. The couple's son Marcus was born in 1972, and their daughter Anna (now known as singer/songwriter Ana Gracey) in 1975.

An autobiography, Journey to a Destination Unknown, was published in 2020.Journey To A Destination Unknown: Barbara Thompson MBE: The autobiographical story of her musical life,, Jazz in Britain (2020) Thompson died at a care home in Carshalton, London, on 9 July 2022, aged 77, after having Parkinson's disease for 25 years.

Discography

Year Album Performer 1966 The Man Who Took the Valise Off the Floor of Grand Central Station at Noon The She Trinity 1968 Angle Howard Riley Trio 1969 Valentyne Suite Colosseum 1970 Daughter of Time Colosseum 1970 Michael Gibbs Michael Gibbs 1971 Little Big Band Keef Hartley Band 1973 The Beginning – Vol. 6: Keef Hartley Band Keef Hartley Band 1973 Mike Taylor Remembered Jon Hiseman, Neil Ardley, Ian Carr etc. 1976 The Roaring Silence Manfred Mann's Earth Band 1976 Kaleidoscope of Rainbows Neil Ardley 1977 Live in Schuetzenhaus United Jazz + Rock Ensemble 1977 NDR Jazzworkshop '77 Various Artists 1978 Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 1978 Barbara Thompson's Jubiaba Barbara Thompson 1978 Variations Andrew Lloyd Webber 1978 Harmony of the Spheres Neil Ardley 1978 Teamwork United Jazz + Rock Ensemble 1979 Wilde Tales Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 1979 Tell Me on a Sunday Marti Webb 1979 The Break Even Point United Jazz + Rock Ensemble 1980 Live in Concert Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 1980 Chance Manfred Mann's Earth Band 1981 Cats Andrew Lloyd Webber 1981 Live in Berlin United Jazz + Rock Ensemble 1981 Zwischenbilanz – Das Beste aus den Jahren 1977 –1981 United Jazz + Rock Ensemble 1982 Mother Earth Barbara Thompson 1982 Ghosts Barbara Thompson/Rod Argent 1983 Cool Cat Jeff Wohlgenannt and Friends 1983 Requiem Andrew Lloyd Webber 1984 Pure Fantasy Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 1984 United Live Opus Sechs United Jazz + Rock Ensemble 1985 Frauen – Power Various Artists 1985 Shadow Show Barbara Thompson/Rod Argent 1985 Live im Berliner Metropol – Theater Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 1986 Heavenly Bodies Barbara Thompson 1986 Ganz schoen heiss, Man! About Time Too! Jon Hiseman 1987 Highlights II United Jazz + Rock Ensemble 1988 A Cry from the Heart Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia Live in London 1990 Songs from the Center of the Earth Barbara Thompson 1991 Perspective '92 Various Artists 1991 Breathless Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 1992 Round Seven United Jazz + Rock Ensemble 1993 Everlasting Flame Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 1995 Barbara Song Barbara Thompson and the Medici String Quartet 1995 Lady Saxophone Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 1996 Die Neunte von United United Jazz + Rock Ensemble 1996 Women's Music from Celestial Harmonies Various Artists 1998 Shifting Sands Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 1998 The Sound Inside / Music and Architecture Various Artists 1999 X United Jazz + Rock Ensemble 2000 Thompson's Tangos and Other Soft Dances Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 2001 Cuff Clout Kate Westbrook and Mike Westbrook 2003 In the Eye of a Storm Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 2004 2006 Manfred Mann '06 with Manfred Mann's Earth Band 2005 Never Say Goodbye Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 2007 Live 05 Colosseum 2011 George Martin Presents Barbara Thompson 2014 Live '05 (DVD) Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 2014Time On Our SideColosseum 2015 The Last Fandango Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia 2021 Bulletproof Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia with National Youth Jazz Orchestra

Compositions Year Album Performer 2006 Three Quartets The Apollo Saxophone Quartet 2012 Perpetual Motion The Apollo Saxophone Orchestra

References

External links Official site