Thompson Egbo-Egbo

The story behind the sound

Hailing from Toronto, Thompson Egbo-Egbo is a pianist and composer with a gift for infinitely memorable yet harmonically complex compositions, driven by a deep, abiding groove. Egbo-Egbo’s early musical talent was nurtured at an inner-city music school. After graduating from high school, he earned a degree in Music from Humber College before studying Electronic Production and Design at Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music. Post-college he found performance work in the clubs and lounges of Toronto, securing several long-term residencies. Inspired by these residency performances, in 2014 Egbo-Egbo shared a collection of original solo piano compositions entitled Short Stories. It was followed by A New Standard in 2018, a hugely acclaimed album recorded in trio format with Jeff Halischuk and Randall Hall. Where that record sought to redefine the concept of the jazz standard – via original takes on songs by Radiohead, Bob Dylan and Laura Mvula – his latest LP, The Offering, succeeds in forging an entirely new dialogue around what we expect from a ‘jazz’ trio.