Leslie Thompson

Jamaican jazz trumpeter

Born: 17 October 1901 in Kingston, Jamaica
Died: 26 December 1987 in London, England

Thompson played in the West India Regiment band and played locally in Kingston movie palaces in the 1920s, then moved to London in 1929. In 1930 he began playing with [a=Spike Hughes], where he played trumpet, trombone, and double bass until 1932. In 1934-35 he toured Europe with [a=Louis Armstrong], then formed his own band with the help of [a=Ken 'Snakehips' Johnson], who himself took over control of this band in 1936. [a=Leslie Hutchinson] was one of his sidemen. In 1936-37 Thompson played with [a=Benny Carter], and later in the 1930s with Edmundo Ros. He served in the military during World War II and was active in dance halls and nightclubs after the war, but stopped playing music professionally after 1954.