Thollem is a pianist, keyboardist, composer, improviser, singer-songwriter, activist, author & teacher. He has toured throughout North America & Europe as an itinerant artist for 2 decades, performing, teaching & collaborating in myriad situations across the idiomatic spectrum. Thollem’s known in concentric circles as an acoustic piano player in the free jazz & post-classical worlds, as the lead vocalist for the Italian agit-punk band Tsigoti, and as an electronic keyboardist through a multitude of projects. His lifelong interest has been to work with people from all walks of life, bringing artists & communities together in ways that may create something uniquely valuable to everyone involved. He is currently focused primarily on his multimedia collaboration with New Mexican visual artist ACVilla, his solo piano work Infinite-Sum Game, his new autobiographical songs project Godammit Tommy!, and workshops on the collaborative process. Since 2005, he has played over 3,000 concerts throughout N. America & Europe, releasing more than 100 albums on 27 different vanguard labels. A very brief cross section of his many collaborators include William Parker, Pauline Oliveros, Stefano Scodanibbio, Nels Cline, Sara Lund, Rob Mazurek, Michael Wimberly, Mike Watt, Susan Alcorn, & Carmina Escobar. Thollem is a published author about art, politics and his travels in NewMusic Box, The Anthology of Essays On Deep Listening, Full Moon Magazine (Prague) & First American Art Magazine. 2 years ago Other Minds Records released The Light Is Real with Terry Riley, Thollem, & Nels Cline. This latest album, ‘The Right Is Real’ features Mr. Terry Riley, and is a return to the original duo concept, starting from scratch. Tracks 1 – 4 are the recordings from the 1st session Terry & Thollem recorded on-line. The rest of the album are samples of these recordings played by Thollem through a Wavestate, in real-time. The impetus for this project together was a kind of epiphany he had when he walked into his Suegra’s bathtub room in northern New Mexico surrounded by her mural of a Redwood forest. Thollem was so captivated that he took a photo and simultaneously thought “the light is real” & “Terry Riley”. Mr. Riley and Thollem have been friends for many years and Thollem shared this epiphany with him. They decided to improvise with their voices while meditating on this photo & concept. Now, on the Winter solstice, ‘The Light Is Real (VOICES)’ has been let out into the world.
I had the chance to get back together with family to the proGram, Thollem to discuss this recent offering into the sonic landscape. We get into the original ideas, hearing them back now since it has been ‘released’ and the work that went into it once the thoughts were shared. In the early Spring, Post Consumer Records will be doing a physical release of this album for people to get a chance to hold it in their hands. Thollem assures us (there is no doubt) that the art that will accompany will be yet another part to this gift. He reminds us of the music he is creating for his forst autobiographical project, Godammit Tommy!, from which I have shared a few tracks, and this is a completely different beast than this work with Mr. Riley. COMPLEETELY! There is no reason to not be reminded about the work he and Angela have done with the documentary series Artists Engaged, as we talk about how we both find new people to become immersed into because of each other. This space is a place where open minded deep listeners can go to be introduced to ‘off the beaten path’ artists to feel.
