The music of West Virginia pianist Bob Thompson, active as a leader orsideman since the1970s, ranges from electric and acoustic in a mostlydance-funk style to excellent modal jazz ¡ la McCoy Tyner. In the late'80s Thompson also became house pianist for the Mountain Stageradio program, produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting andwidely distributed by National Public Radio. He recorded a number ofalbums for the Atlanta-based lchiban label during the 1990s and intothe 2000s while also establishing his own Colortones.com label forsuch releases as the 1998 holiday outing Joy to the World and the BobThompson Unit's Caught in the Act (1999), Homeland (2002), and Hitfrom the Git (2006). More Joy to the World and Bob Thompson "Live"on Mountain Stage followed on Colortones in 2007.