Pat Thomas - Sunday Interview

 

1.     What is your greatest joy in improvised music? 

For me the joy of endings.

2.      What quality do you most admire in the musicians you perform with?

The speed at creating music in real time

3.      Which historical musician/composer do you admire the most? 

Duke Ellington

 4.     If you could resurrect a musician to perform with, who would it be?

I would have loved to have played with Sun Ra

 5.     What would you still like to achieve musically in your life? 

To play on the highest musical level possible consistently

 6.     Are you interested in popular music and - if yes - what music/artist do you particularly like

Not interested in pop music these days

 7.     If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

To stop being a bore

 8.     Which of your albums are you most proud of? 

The latest release is always my favourite

 9.     Once an album of yours is released, do you still listen to it? And how often?

I listen to the release 3 more times to check the sound quality,the track order and finally the music.

10.     Which album (from any musician) have you listened to the most in your life? 

"Money Jungle" by Duke with Charles Mingus and Max Roach, and "Evidence" by Monk

11.     What are you listening to at the moment? 

Currently listening to Speaker Music Aka Deforrest Brown Jr, Lisa Lim, Oscar Peterson Trio, J Dilla, Kevin Saunderson, George Crumb and of course Roscoe Mitchell.

 12.     What artist do you admire outside music? 

The great painter and my mentor Ray Povey

Recent albums with Pat Thomas and reviewed by us:

• Pat Thomas & XT with Will Holder - “Akisakila” / Attitudes of Preparation (Mountains, Oceans, Trees) (2022)
• Pat Thomas & XT with Will Holder - “Akisakila” / Attitudes of Preparation (Mountains, Oceans, Trees) (2022)
• Dave Tucker, Pat Thomas, Thurston Moore, Mark Sanders - Educated Guess(es)
• Black Top Presents: Hamid Drake / Elaine Mitchener / William Parker / Orphy Robinson / Pat Thomas – Some Good News (Otoroku, 2021)
• Pat Thomas/The Locals - The Locals Play the Music of Anthony Braxton (Discus, 2021)
• Matana Roberts & Pat Thomas - The Truth (Otoroku, 2020)
• Pat Thomas, John Butcher & Ståle Solberg - Fictional Souvenirs (Astral Spirits, 2019)
• Common Objects - Skullmarks (meena, 2019)
• Rachel Musson / Pat Thomas / Mark Sanders - Shifa: Live at Cafe Oto (577 Records, 2019)
• Spring Heel Jack and Wadada Leo Smith with Pat Thomas and Steve Noble - Hackney Road (Treader, 2018)
• The Founder Effect I - III (Treader, 2013)
• Pat Thomas - Al-Khwarizmi Variations (Fataka, 2013)
• Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith - Abbey Road Quartet (Treader, 2009)