Thollem has added two new releases to his Astral Traveling Series out now via the Austin, Texas free jazz and experimental label, Astral Spirits. Culled from his prolific travels during 2019, the 25-album series documents the musicians’ improvised performances with a multi-varied host of players from around the US. This month, the installments provide the bookends to that amazing journey. Thollem / Santistevan / DeFoe / Hutchinson / Jonas is the first show of the tour, and Thollem / Wayne / Santistevan being the last before lockdown in 2020.
Making his home in Northern New Mexico, Thollem’s first performance of his 2019 travels was at Littleglobe in Santa Fe, NM. The non-profit consists of artists, facilitators, activists, and cultural workers practicing socially engaged participatory art. Self-recorded by Thollem on July 11th, that night, he performed on synthesizer alongside Tiffany DeFoe on tenor sax, Rosie Hutchinson on violin, Carlos Santistevan on bass, and Littleglobe Executive Director Chris Jonas on sax. Thollem reports that most of the sales from this album will be donated to the New Mexico non-profit to assist the vital work they do in supporting that local community.
Thollem / Wayne / Santistevan was recorded at the legendary Churchill‘s in Miami, FL. Thollem explains, “As a New Mexican resident, it’s a special honor and such a pleasure to play The Outpost Performance Space. This listening room that Tom Guralnick has cultivated for years has been a mainstay for wide varieties of adventurous music.” Recorded on March 5th of 2020, this was Thollem’s last performance before Covid lockdown ended what was to be a three-month tour of Europe. Performing on piano and synth that night, he was joined by Dave Wayne on drums and Carlos Santistevan on bass. He explains:
“Dave and Carlos and I have played together in various configurations over the years including with Dave on ‘With’, my album in duo with drummers put out on Union Pole Tapes several years ago. Carlos has been a mainstay in Santa Fe as a musician as well as the main director of High Mayhem Emerging Arts which has provided opportunities for the community and touring musicians for a couple of decades now. This evening I was asked to play a solo piano set followed by the trio. So, I included a segment of that set as well as a larger segment of the trio.”
