Thompson Egbo-Egbo

Thompson Egbo-Egbo is a Canadian jazz pianist, composer and educator from Toronto, Ontario.[1]

Background

Born in Nigeria, he emigrated to Canada with his family in childhood.[2] After struggling in school, his mother enrolled him in music classes at Toronto's Dixon Hall.[3]

In 1995, at the age of 11, he was featured in a television commercial for the Toronto chapter of the United Way of Canada.[4] In the same year, he also participated in a summer music camp organized by the Canadian Opera Company.[5]

He took further music classes at the Regent Park School of Music in the city's Regent Park neighbourhood,[6] while attending high school at Danforth Collegiate and Technical Institute.[7]

Following high school he studied jazz performance at Humber College, and music production and design at the Berklee College of Music.[8]

Career

By the early 2000s he was beginning to perform in Toronto jazz clubs.[9] In 2005 he performed at the Toronto Jazz Festival for the first time.[10] He created his own Thompson Egbo-Egbo Trio in 2012,[2] and released his debut album Short Stories in 2014.

He performs a mixture of original compositions, jazz standards and jazz-based rearrangements of popular music.[2] Of his inclusion of pop, rock and world music elements into his repertoire, he has stated that “I don't see it as making concessions to the pop world or any other genre. We all have unlimited access to every kind of music now, so I feel I'm a position to add whatever elements I'm interested in to my sound."[2]

He has also worked in theatre, including serving as music director for productions of Da Kink in My Hair in the 2000s,[8] composing original music for the Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre,[2] and performing in the Soulpepper Theatre Company's 88Keys in 2019.[11]

In 2021 he portrayed the young Oscar Peterson in a Heritage Minute about Peterson's life.[12] In June 2025, he was one of the performers at a special Massey Hall tribute show celebrating the 100th anniversary of Peterson's birth,[13] and he is slated to perform at the annual Canada Day festival on the LeBreton Flats in Ottawa on July 1, in the afternoon lineup alongside Amanda Marshall, Garou, Rafaëlle Roy and Alli Walker.[14]

Citing the importance of giving back to the community that helped him, he has remained active as a board member and supporter of both Dixon Hall[8] and the Regent Park Music School,[7] and created his own Thompson T. Egbo-Egbo Arts Foundation to support children's arts education programs.[3]

Discography

  • Short Stories - 2014
  • A New Standard - 2018
  • The Offering - 2019
  • What Remains - 2022
  • Oddly Familiar, Vol. 1 - 2022
  • Oddly Familiar, Vol. 2 - 2024

References

  1. ^ "'Music opened the door for me': Thompson Egbo-Egbo on his history with the piano". Q, June 19, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e Joel Levy, "Five minutes with Toronto musician Thompson Egbo-Egbo". Toronto Guardian, January 30, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Thompson Egbo-Egbo says he has a responsibility to help inner-city kids learn music". The Sunday Magazine, September 28, 2018.
  4. ^ Dale Anne Freed, "United Way making Metro a better place CTV president John Cassaday heads campaign for $50 million". Toronto Star, October 22, 1995.
  5. ^ Debra Black, "Singing opera's praises: Inner city kids can't keep quiet about the fun they're having at a special camp run by the Canadian Opera Company". Toronto Star, July 17, 1995.
  6. ^ Karen Palmer, "Low-cost music lessons sound a harmonious note: At the Regent Park School of Music, kids who otherwise couldn't afford it learn to sing, play piano, guitar and violin". The Globe and Mail, July 5, 1999.
  7. ^ a b "Regent Park concert 'close to the heart' for Thompson T. Egbo-Egbo". City Centre Mirror, February 5, 2015.
  8. ^ a b c James Adams, "Toronto musician gives back to the program that inspired him". The Globe and Mail, November 23, 2013.
  9. ^ Don Ellis, "Hot Potato is clubland's best-kept secret". National Post, November 29, 2003.
  10. ^ "Downtown Jazz Festival". Toronto Star, June 30, 2005.
  11. ^ Ryan B. Patrick, "Thompson Egbo-Egbo: The Offering". Exclaim!, May 28, 2019.
  12. ^ "Thompson Egbo-Egbo on filling Oscar Peterson’s shoes". CJRT-FM, February 17, 2021.
  13. ^ Brad Wheeler, "On the occasion of Oscar Peterson’s centenary, a country celebrates its jazz pianist". The Globe and Mail, June 12, 2025.
  14. ^ Alex Hudson, "Sarah McLachlan, Cœur de pirate, Blue Rodeo to Play Official Canada Day Concert". Exclaim!, May 29, 2025.
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