Pianist and clarinetist Butch Thompson, well known for his long association with public radio’s A Prairie Home Companion, has played ragtime and traditional jazz from Cairo to Tokyo. He began his career at age 16 in Minnesota, and has been a frequent New Orleans visitor since 1962. He spends much of his time on tour in the U.S. and abroad, and is a regular at major festivals including Jazzfest in New Orleans; the Scott Joplin Festival in Sedalia, Missouri; the Festival of New Orleans Music in Ascona, Switzerland; and many more. He has recorded extensively, including the Grammy-winning Verve release Doc Cheatham and Nicholas Payton and a long series of solo recordings on Daring/Rounder of Boston. He also writes extensively on jazz, including numerous CD annotations and magazine articles.