Articles and Reviews

Arts Ink, a publication of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, ran an article on Thompson.

The New Jersey State Council on the Arts interviewed Thompson about one of the grants he received from the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.

Thompson is a frequent visitor to Texas, where there have been several articles written about him and his Soundpainting performances. "Red Light/Green Light" was reviewed in the The Austin Chronicle; a review of "The Bridge" was written in the The Daily Texan; and Thompson's participation in Austin's Sound and Vision Festival was featured in Austin Downtown Arts Magazine as well as in an article in the The Daily Texan.

The Courier (Cedar Falls, Iowa) printed an article on one of Thompson's appearances in that state.

Robert Hicks, of The Villager (New York, NY), penned an article on Thompson early in the development of Soundpainting.

(Excerpts)

"There is no end to the variations and combinations possible. Walter Thompson's Soundpainting. Elating!"

—Ingvar Loco Nordin, Sonoloco (Sweden)
Full Review

"I was blown away by a show more entertaining, intriguing, and exciting than anything I'd seen in a long time."

—J.C. Shakespeare, The Austin Chronicle
Full Review

"His work is spontaneous composition in its most highly realized form"

—Chris Kelsey, Jazz NOW
Full Review

"Thompson orchestrates a multimedia frenzy that blows the mind."

—David English, Daily Texan
Full Review

"Walter Thompson's mastery of color and form....He doesn't lead the music down a safe and narrow path."

—Kevin Whitehead, National Public Radio

"Their presentation in Barcelona was one of the most intense moments of LEM 99 and a real surprise for all those attending. Known and awarded worldwide as one of the most important labels of today's improvised music, Thompson has created an extraordinary language (of over 600 gestures) that allows musicians, dancers and poets … and even the audience … to express themselves collectively."

—LEM Festival, Barcelona, Spain

"We were very impressed by composer Walter Thompson's big band. Thompson skillfully combines elements
of jazz and contemporary music."

—Giuseppe Ballaris, Music Jazz (Italy)

"Thompson likes to distort expectations; textures are often sparse, arrangements quirky--like odd Latin quotes, 'out' interludes, and environmental sounds woven through Mango Tango, or Blue Battle's atonal intro that swells and subsides with free-ensemble episodes."

—Art Lange, Downbeat

"Leading the way and setting a brisk pace is the wonderful Walter Thompson Marching Band, an ensemble that plays everything from improvisatory free jazz to New Orleans-style Mardi Gras music."

(Theater review of Father Was a Peculiar Man with En Garde Arts)

—Steven Holden, New York Times

"Music composed by Walter Thompson and played live, ebbs and flows, lilting, sentimental, impudently
teasing and always vivid."

—Jennifer Dunning, New York Times

"Thompson's reconstructions of Ives' songs were brilliant."

—Jazz Nu (Amsterdam)

"It is a straight forward, fast paced production that uses the original orchestrations for keyboard, percussion, banjo and brass that are the only arrangements sanctioned by (the Kurt Weill Foundation). And they are very well played by seven musicians from The Walter Thompson Orchestra."

(Theater review of Happy End with the Irondale Ensemble Project)

—Steven Holden, New York Times

"Thompson's compositions provided intellectual satisfactions....Thompson's plan (for the orchestra)
is on course."

—Howard Mandel, Village Voice