Caressable – Eli "Lucky" Thompson

This bossa has all of the elegance and sophistication often associated with Lucky Thompson. It visits many key centers within the form, but the melody and changes always flow evenly with nothing out of place or jarring.

The A and C sections of this 36-measure form are identical; the B and D sections have the same first two measures but then go in different directions. Starting in B♭ major, the fourth measure modulates up to B major—and the eighth to C major. F major and A major also appear in the B section, which is extended to 12 measures. The last 6 measures of this section have a slower melodic rhythm with a longer modulation back to the tonic. The F major chord on the third measure of the B section reappears in the D section, but followed by chords that suggest an extension of the preceding C tonality—and then an unexpected D♭ major chord as part of a subtle resolution to B♭. Throughout all this, the melody is sensibly constructed and eminently singable.

There is a coda that vamps a piano and bass figure, as the melody (which in the head ends on the fifth) eventually descends in two-measure phrases to the fifth an octave lower.

"Lucky Is Back!" is one of three albums from around 1965 that featured Lucky in a quartet setting with Tommy Flanagan on piano. In February 1965, Lucky and Tommy recorded "Happy Days Are Here Again" for Prestige, with Walter Perkins and bassist George Tucker, who died later that year. There is also the Rivoli album "Kinfolks Corner," with the same personnel as "Lucky Is Back!" except with Oliver Jackson on drums. Around this time, Tommy Flanagan was playing with Ella Fitzgerald and with Sonny Rollins. Bassist Willie Ruff is actually better known for his work on French horn; he played bass extensively in a duo setting with the pianist Dwike Mitchell.