Who Do You Have to Know?

...full of delightful group dynamics and individual virtuosity. Thompson leads his quartet with a relaxed confidence and impeccable dexterity...
ALL ABOUT JAZZ

With several Origin releases featuring mainstream heavyweights, young up-and-comers, and chordless trio explorations with his Trio East and Triocity groups, drummer Rich Thompson has covered vast musical ground. Here, Thompson teams with his bandmate from trumpeter Byron Stripling's band, pianist/organist Bobby Floyd, guitarist Corey Christiansen and bassist Peter Chwazik for an organic, grooving session covering originals, seldom heard classics such as Sonny Rollins' "Why Don't I," and John Scofield's "Gray & Visceral," to new takes on three beloved standards including "A Flower is a Lovesome Thing."

"...a study in purposeful orchestration..." - Modern Drummer

Production Info:

Produced by Rich Thompson
Executive Producer: Janine Thompson
Recorded by Greg Thompson at
Kresge Studios, Rochester, NY
Mixed by Greg Thompson at
Injured Ear Productions, Rochester, NY
Mastered by David Darlington at
Bass Hit Studios, NYC
Photography & Video by Will Casaceli
Cover design & layout by John Bishop

Reviews of Who Do You Have to Know?

JazzWeekly (George W Harris)
Drummer Rich Thompson puts together a hip little quartet that veers between a humming Hammond groover and a piano post bopper, depending which instrument Bobby Floyd is sitting behind. Along with Peter Chwazik/b and Corey Christiansen/g, Thompson mixes standards with new material, with Christianson's guitar reminiscent of John Scofield, particular ...

All About Jazz (Dan McClenaghan)
4-STARS The title of drummer Rich Thompson's 2023 release is Who Do You Have To Know?. The answer to that: John Bishop and Matt Jorgensen, the team that runs the Origin and OA2 Records labels that boast prolific and consistently good outputs, featuring an array of well-known and a goodly number of not-so-well-known, but always interesting, often t ...

Jazz Rochester (Editor)
Welcome to the first in what I hope will be a growing series of posts about new albums being put out by one of the talented jazz musicians or groups in and around Rochester, NY. The first is by local drummer (and Eastman professor) Rich Thompson, who is asking that perennial question of those breaking into anything new with his new album Who Do You ...

All About Jazz (Jack Bowers)
Veteran drummer Rich Thompson ushers a lithe and swinging quartet through its paces on his latest album, Who Do You Have to Know? (the answer to which, alas, is not forthcoming). This is basically late-night jazz, the kind often reserved for after-hours jam sessions whose participants are fully engaged in the task at hand and hold nothing back. ...

Take Effect (Tom Haugen)
The drummer Rich Thompson has an impressive resume and he adds to that body of work here with 9 tunes that welcome Corey Christiansen, Bobby Floyd and Peter Chwazik to the fusion formula. The title track starts the listen with Floyd's atmospheric organ and Thompson's agile drumming in the flowing, worldly jazz climate, and "Street Cred" follows ...