Thollem returns with a December installment from his 25 album series Astral Traveling Sessions out on the Austin, Texas-based label Astral Spirits. A monumental achievement by anyone’s standards, the 12-month subscription series includes recordings the keyboard/pianist made with over 70 different musicians during his world-wide touring schedule in 2019.
This month includes both sets of a live concert at the El Barrio Art Space in New York in Dec. 2019 with experimental vocalist Carmina Escobar and a quartet performance that night with William Parker, Michael Wimberly, and Nels Cline. Additionally, this month also includes a studio recording of Thollem in duo with the percussionist/composer/sound artist Tatsuya Nakatani at his home in Truth Or Consequences, NM.
Discussing the recorded performances in New York, Thollem explains:
“This album includes both sets at El Barrio Art Space in NY that were organized to celebrate two albums of mine in varieties of contexts with these amazing musicians. The first set was a duo with Carmina Escobar for the release of Estamos Trio (unfortunately Milo Tamez was not able to join us for this mini-tour). The album Dire Warning, released by Relative Pitch Records, is the 4th album from the Estamos Project which is a cross-border effort for cultural exchange that I started in 2009. It has involved over 25 musicians to date with activities in both Mexico and the U.S. The 2nd set commemorated two albums on ESP_disk, a trio with Nels and Michael and a trio with Nels and William.”
Discussing his recording with Tatsuya Nakatani, Thollem tells us:
“Tatsuya and I have met many times in various countries on our respective tours. He’s one of the few people I know who travels as much as I do. We both make it work through a variety of solo concerts, long-term projects, free improvisation and teaching. This recording was made in his studio in Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico, a small town in the central part of the state known for its hot baths (as well as its name). I’m playing a Waldorf Blofeld and he is playing his incredible assortment of gongs, bells and percussion.”
Coming Soon:
January: Duo with John Dieterich recorded in his studio in Albuquerque and a quartet recorded in Peter Valsamis‘ studio in L.A. with Orlando Greenhill and Jacqueline Kim.
February: A live concert in duo with Alex Cline at the Santa Monica Library and a duo with Susan Alcorn during her residency in New Mexico last year.
March: Duo with Ravish Momin in his studio in Philadelphia and a trio with Matthew Lux and Avreeayl Ra at the Hungry Brain in Chicago.
