Thollem McDonas
Omnileliomatic
"It's a great honor to work with this incredible orchestra and in support of Lelio's legacy. Over the years I had the pleasure to work with Lelio within his community of Palermo and greater Sicilia. The last time was a little over a year before his passing when we toured Sicily together for a week culminating in a recording session with Eva Geraci and Alessandro Librio. This album was published on Astral Spirits as part of my Astral Traveling Series a month before Lelio died. In December, 2021, …
Obstacle Illusion
'Obstacle Illusion is born out of my love for a wide array of musics that I've experienced and studied over the years. The album includes edited live concert recordings from my 3-month European tour at the end of 2021 (Centro d'Arte in Padova, AngelicA Festival in Bologna and the Rassegna di Nuova Musica in Macerata). The first and fourth tracks are solo acoustic piano. The second and third tracks are solely with the Korg Wavestate: all live, no overdubs. This music is the result of a collaborat…
Thollem’s Astral Traveling Sessions Compilation
** Edition of 150 copies ** This is a compilation of segments from 6 different recordings throughout the U.S. and Greece including: a trio with Amy Denio and Samantha Boshnack at the Good Shepherd Chapel in Seattle, part of the Wayward Series; a duo with Seetha Shivaswamy in Austin for NMASS; a trio at the BopStop in Cleveland with Mat Weisman and Rick Kodramaz; a duo with Djallo Djakate in Djallo’s studio in Detroit; a hand percussion duo with Jason Finkelman in Allen Hall at the University of …
Gowanus Sessions II
Gowanus Session II was seven years in the planning. Thollem McDonas, Nels Cline, and William Parker convened at Peter Karl Studios in Brooklyn on January 3rd, 2012 and recorded two complete albums. The first was Gowanus Session I, released by Porter Records in April of 2012. GS II was put aside to eventually complete the five-album palindromic cycle of trio albums Nels and Thollem ambitiously set out to realize. The albums in between include Radical Empathy with Michael Wimberly (Relative Pitch,…
The Gowanus Session
“The Gowanus Session”, a new trio recording by Thollem McDonas (piano), William Parker (acoustic bass), Nels Cline (electric guitar), that explores the density and subtlety of tones with reverberating layers of sounds. Thollem McDonas approaches the piano brilliantly, leading the listener to image abstract and beautiful worlds within themselves. William Parker, with his mastery of the acoustic bass, brings warmth to the recording that is complex, soaring and joyful. Nels Cline’s innovative and s…
On Debussy's Piano and...
Die Schachtel is proud to present a recording that embodies the virtuosity of Thollem McDonas and Stefano Scodanibbio in the spirit of Claude Debussy's rebellious creativity. As Terry Riley wrote: “Anyone who has heard Thollem or Scodanibbio as a soloist might well imagine what a combination of their unique genius could produce. Awesome, well matched virtuosos in an ocean of sound." During the listening of this CD, you will witness the renowned talent of Scodanibbio, a 21st ce…