Mcdonas, Thollem / Solo Piano
Album: Solo Piano   Collection:Jazz
Artist:Mcdonas, Thollem   Added:Sep 2005
Label:Pax Recordings  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2005-12-04 Pull Date: 2006-02-05 Charts: Jazz
Week Ending: Feb 5 Jan 22 Jan 15 Dec 18 Dec 11
Airplays: 1 1 2 2 1

Recent Airplay
1. Jan 29, 2018: In Your Ear Radio - Still Waking Up but Here, in Radioland!
Through Confusion Comes Understanding
4. Jan 20, 2006: Memory Select
Through Confusion Comes Understanding
2. Dec 12, 2008: Memory Select
Ancient Futures
5. Jan 14, 2006: Killer Yellow
Through Confusion Comes Understanding
3. Feb 03, 2006: Memory Select
Ancient Futures
6. Jan 13, 2006: Memory Select
Living Is The Strangest Thing I've Done

Album Review
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

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