Pat Thomas takes a leaf out of the Darius Jones titling book, with his puzzling selections. XT is Paul Abbott and Seymour Wright, the latter a regular with the pianist’s [ahmed] combo.
The vinyl and CD alternatives feature different versions of the chosen piece, but the digital makes all five available, three manifestations in Zürich and two sets from Cafe OTO in London. The opening first set (taped at OTO) is 43 minutes, and the closing first set from Zürich is almost 17. This latter is the most acoustic showing of what we know as free jazz, jabbing piano galore. Two hours and 47 minutes in its optimal digital entirety!
But not a moment is flab. Every second is vital. Boiling up in a shard-bucket of torn-up and dismembered electronic fragments,…
Tag Archive: Pat Thomas
Seeing Pat Thomas with his [Ahmed] quartet earlier this year was a revelation. The latest release of this prolific composer and improviser, HIKMAH, is a very different type of album. However, it maintains the exploratory energy and creative intensity that made his live performances so compelling.
Here, it is just Thomas on piano improvising his way through eight short-to-medium length tracks. Equally informed by classical music, jazz, and the experimental, Thomas plays with a percussive and angular style replete with irregular timings and unexpected chording. But he also has a playful side that peers out around the corners from time to time.
Thomas’s works come across as introspective and reflective, not because he follows…