Fred Tompkins


Fred Tompkins is an American jazz flautist and composer, best known for his work as a composer of third stream music.

Early life

Tompkins played in his native Missouri for several years after high school and attended the St. Louis Institute of Music starting in 1964, pairing it with summer courses at Berklee College and the Aspen Music School. During this period he received instruction from Lee Humphreys, Trudy Kane, Graham Hollobon, Harold Bennett, Manus Sasonkin, Lukas Foss, and Vincent Persichetti. Early influences on his study and playing were John Coltrane, Art Blakey, Modern Jazz Quartet, Paul Hindemith and Béla Bartók.

Jazz career

1960s

In 1967 he changed his base of operations to New York City and developed an important relationship with jazz drummer Elvin Jones, with whom he would make recordings which also featured Joe Farrell, Jimmy Owens and other musicians. His career was put on hold, however, when he was conscripted in 1968. He was, however, able to find time to compose during this period, and it was during this time that his composition "Yes" found its way on to Elvin's LP Polycurrents.

1970s

After three years of service, he returned to New York and continued to compose, perform and record. It was during this time that he became associated with the New Music Circle and premiered his composition "Four Lines" for flute, oboe, string bass and drums. His first LP "The Compositions of Fred Tompkins" showed him firmly rooted in third Stream composition, and featured the playing of Jones, Farrell, Owens, Wilbur Little, and Richard Davis. His next LP "Somesville", again featured challenging compositions, this time played by Jones, Lenny White, Gene Perla, Buster Williams, David Liebman and Steve Grossman. Tompkins' pieces are fully notated with respect to notes, dynamics and articulation, but the players take a little freedom, especially the rhythm section when there is one, to complement and propel the swing jazz feeling.

1980s–present

The 1980s saw Tompkins setting music to the poetry of Emily Dickinson and E. E. Cummings, and in the 1990s he composed music to pieces by John Keats, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and St. Louis poet Michael Castro. The early 1980s also saw the premier of pieces Tompkins composed for the French horn player John Clark, which also incorporated the use of string synthesizer, arco bass, pizzicato bass and drums. In 1989, the world premiere of his piece "Duet Melody" was held at the Bar Harbor Festival and was performed by David Bilger and his wife Dorinne Bilger.
Tompkins has since also worked with Paul DeMarinis, Chuck Loeb, Frank Tusa, Lawrence Feldman, Noah Young, Bryant Hayes, Rick Cutler, Norman Carey, Anthony Jackson and many others. In 1990, he returned to St. Louis and continues to compose, perform, announce on radio and participate on the board of the New Music Circle. His CD There is a Zone is a compilation of all his recorded music to the poetry of Emily Dickinson.

Critical reviews

;As leader:
;As sideman with Elvin Jones: