Ross Tompkins (May 13, 1938 – June 30, 2006) was an American jazz pianist who was a member of The Tonight Show Band.
Biography
Tompkins attended the New England Conservatory of Music, then moved to New York City, where he worked with Kai Winding (1960–67), Eric Dolphy (1964), Wes Montgomery (1966), Bob Brookmeyer/Clark Terry (1966), Benny Goodman (1968), Bobby Hackett (1965–70), and Al Cohn and Zoot Sims (1968–72). He moved to Los Angeles in 1971, playing with Louie Bellson, Joe Venuti, and Red Norvo in the 1970s and Jack Sheldon in the 1980s.
He was best known for his longtime association with The Tonight Show Band, led by Doc Severinsen, on the television program The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He was a member of the band from 1971 until Carson's retirement in 1992. He recorded for Concord Jazz as a leader in the second half of the 1970s.
Tompkins died of lung cancer at the age of 68.
Discography
As leader
A Pair to Draw To (Concord Jazz, 1975) Scrimshaw (Concord, 1976) Live at Concord 1977 (Concord, 1977) Lost in the Stars (Concord, 1977) Ross Tompkins and Good Friends (Concord, 1978) Festival Time (Concord, 1979) Street of Dreams (Famous Door, 1982) Solo Piano (Progressive, 1994) Celebrates the Music of Jule Styne (Progressive, 1996) Heart to Heart (HD, 1998) with Cathy Segal-Garcia Ross Tompkins Celebrates the Music of Harold Arlen (Progressive, 1999) Younger than Springtime (Arbors, 2001)
As sideman
With Kai Winding
The Great Kai & J. J. (1960) The Incredible Kai Winding Trombones (Impulse!, 1960) Kai Olé (Verve, 1961) Solo (Verve, 1963) Israel (A&M/CTI, 1968) with J. J. Johnson Stonebone (A&M/CTI (Japan), 1969) with J. J. Johnson
With Doc Severinsen
1970 Doc Severinsen's Closet
1986 The Tonight Show Band Vol. 1
1988 The Tonight Show Band Vol. 2
1991 Merry Christmas from Doc Severinsen
1991 Once More...With Feeling! 1992 Good Medicine 1999 Swingin' the Blues
With Tommy Newsom
1991 Tommy Newsom and His TV Jazz Stars
1996 I Remember You Johnny
With Louie Bellson
1974 150 MPH
1975 The Louis Bellson Explosion
1976 Louie Bellson's 7
1978 Louis Bellson Jam
1978 Matterhorn
1978 Prime Time
1978 Raincheck
1978 Sunshine Rock
1995 Live at Concord Summer Festival
1994 Cool Cool Blue
With Herb Ellis
1975 A Pair to Draw To
1975 Rhythm Willie
1979 Soft & Mellow
1979 Herb Ellis at Montreux
With Snooky Young
Snooky & Marshall's Album (1978) Horn of Plenty (Concord Jazz, 1979) with John Collins, Ray Brown, and Jake Hanna.
With Bill Watrous
1980 I'll Play for You
2001 Bill Watrous & Carl Fontana
With Jack Sheldon
1983 Stand by for Jack Sheldon
1991 On My Own
With others
1962 In a Mellow Mood, Joe Newman
1968 Warm Wild & Wonderful, Tony Mottola
1976 Hawthorne Nights, Zoot Sims
1977 The Real Howard Roberts, Howard Roberts
1978 Sweet Lorraine, Lorraine Feather
1979 Peanuts Hucko with His Pied Piper Quintet, Peanuts Hucko
1979 Red and Ross, Red Norvo
1980 Play the Music of Michel LeGrand, Bob Cooper
1981 California Doings, Dick Cary
1988 Just a Bit o' Blues Vol. 1, Spike Robinson
1988 Just a Bit o' Blues Vol. 2, Harry Edison/Spike Robinson
1990 Doug MacDonald Quartet, Doug MacDonald
1990 Piano & Vocals, Jack Lemmon
1993 Bob Cooper/Conte Candoli Quintet, Bob Cooper & Conte Candoli
1994 Don't You Know I Care?, Polly Podewell
1994 Prez Impressions, Dick Hafer
1999 Evening Delight, Plas Johnson
2001 Live in Paradise, Dave Pell
References
Footnotes
Further Reading
Paul Rinzler, "Ross Tompkins". The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. 2nd edition, 2001, ed. Barry Kernfeld. Richard S. Ginell, [ Ross Tompkins] at Allmusic