Worlds in a Life, One

“There are as many worlds in a life as there are lives in the world." – from track titles on The Gowanus Session (Thollem/Parker/Cline)

YOU CAN ALSO DOWNLOAD FROM ESP'S BANDCAMP: Worlds in a Life, One | Thollem (bandcamp.com)

 Creativity is theoretically infinite. Just as improvisors can play the same song every night and have it sound different every time, existing recordings can have their materials combined in different ways, re-mixed, re-ordered, re-everything’d. Some people prefer the comforting solidity of a single version, unchanging, but that is antithetical to the jazz spirit. The infinity of creativity is being explored in two upcoming projects by Thollem (McDonas).

Worlds in a Life, One is the first of two albums that Thollem is creating using samples from all of the six Thollem/Cline Trio albums as the primary sound sources (including double bass, piano, organ, electric guitar, drums, MIDI-accordion, and voice). The approach developed naturally out of the process of creating The Light Is Real with Nels and Terry Riley on Other Minds Records (December, 2023). In 2012, Thollem and Nels's first trio collaboration was with William Parker (Porter Records and ESP-Disk' [ESP 5037]). The following albums include the Radical Empathy Trio with Michael Wimberly (Relative Pitch and ESP-Disk' [ESP5035]), and with Pauline Oliveros (Roaratorio).

Worlds in a Life, One was recorded in real-time on a Wavestate, with no overdubs, on December 21st, 25th and 31st, 2023. This music is a celebration of the limitless palette of sounds and the infinite within each of us, known and unknown. Worlds in a Life, Two (ESP-Disk' 5071, to be released in April, 2024) will reveal discoveries made through intensive explorations over the following two months.  

Thollem will be touring with these albums throughout 2024 with New Mexican video artist ACVilla, who will be mixing new visual material created for this performance, along the lines of this: https://vimeo.com/thollemacvilla/wialone

 Track Listing:

1. Every Twist 18:35

2. Every Turn  18:04

Personnel:

Thollem: composer, Wavestate

Nels Cline, guitars

Pauline Oliveros, MIDI-accordion

William Parker, double bass

Terry Riley, vocals

Michael Wimberly, drums

Press Quotes: "Thollem displays a chameleonic ability to adapt to suit whatever musical context presents itself... there is more than one way to access the infinite." - Daniel Spicer, The Wire

“Unreal linear explosions”. – Greg Burk, LA Weekly

“Thollem’s improvisational and compositional wizardry has many dimensions” – Brad Cohan, Jazz Times