Solo Piano

Mcdonas, Thollem
Pax Recordings
Jazz | Sep 2005

Reviews

Craig Matsumoto
Reviewed 2005-12-04
Solo piano. Thollem's previous albums (filed under "Thollem/Rivera") showed off oddball jazz stylings; here he's a bit more on the serious classical side but still flashing some weirdness. It carries the seriousness of chamber music but the attitude of, well, college radio.

These seem to be improvised pieces, each one running through two or three short ideas, often with little pauses in there. Fun and interesting, and a very different kind of solo piano record.

1- Super fast and turbulent, then delicate faux-new-age. Then fast rollicking fun.
2- Off-kilter runs. Then ocean-wave chords and slow melody
3- Fairly fast, scattery
4- Playful, gets into wacky inside-the-piano antics
5- Cascading classical notes, mostly midtempo. Spare.
6- Fast, gnarled notes. Ends with cool unison playing.
7- Ringing pounding chords. Then plinky calm that builds into chaos.
8- Stern chase music, then high-note playfulness
9- Lots of stillness, particularly later on -- even though it's fast.
10- Almost like silent-movie music. Fast and bouncy, then sparse 11- Stringy melodic exercises; strong ending
12- Slowish start, into fast angular doodles
13- Couple of small passages, then a rolling rollicking one

Recent airplay

Through Confusion Comes Understanding
Ancient Futures
Memory SelectDec 12, 2008
Ancient Futures
Memory SelectFeb 03, 2006
Through Confusion Comes Understanding
Memory SelectJan 20, 2006
Through Confusion Comes Understanding
Killer YellowJan 14, 2006
Living Is The Strangest Thing I've Done
Memory SelectJan 13, 2006

Charting

2005-12-04 — 2006-02-05 Jazz
Week EndingAirplays
Feb 5 1
Jan 22 1
Jan 15 2
Dec 18 2
Dec 11 1

Track listing

1. Ancient Futures
2. Death Is Our Only Deadline
3. The Poor Are Canaries And The Prophets
4. I Know That I Think That I Feel
5. Gone Beyond Reason To Find One
6. Faithful Skepticism
7. Black Elk Speaks
8. Mind's Found An Opening
9. The Ohlone Way
10. Through Confusion Comes Understanding
11. One Breath Is Worth Dying Twice For
12. A Moment Is Only If, And Then, And Then, And Then
13. Living Is The Strangest Thing I've Done