The late trumpeter Malachi Thompson, of the "Scenes at the Sutherland" and annual JAAZ Fest, was one of the nation's most prolific Jazz composer and musician. Stationed at the 'Jazz famous' Sutherland in Bronzeville, home of Louis Armstrong, Thompson with his SCAI organization, almost single-handedly brought Jazz back to the Southside.
Why is this important?
As an artist in Chicago, I had the opportunity to see how the late Malachi Thompson created venues for musicians, poets and all artistically inclined, to showcase their talents. He had an intergenerational outreach and supplied it with internationally known poets like Amiri Baraka and musicians like Roscoe Mitchell and Wayne Shorter. Malachi created jobs for poets and artists like me and he paid us well. He also supplied opportunities to be featured on his CDs, videos and appearances in Jazz clubs, college campuses and annual Jazz Festivals. Some know that, for years, Thompson battled a rare form of cancer, yet it did not keep him from pursuing his life's purpose and helping many others along the way.
