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Dominic Lash / Pat Thomas: New Oxford Brevity
by John Sharpe
For the potential listener seeing Dominic Lash's name on a record sleeve, there is the conundrum of which of his guises this might signal. While primarily known as a bassist, he pursues his craft across several areas, from straightforward free improv, as heard on Discernment (Spoonhunt, 2021), to composition based left field jazz, with his Quartet on Limulus (Spoonhunt, 2021), to experimental and contemporary music (with the Set Ensemble). But none of those apply here. Reason being, he ...
Continue ReadingPat Thomas: Bagman Live At Cafe Oto
by Mike Jurkovic
Cacophony! Cataclysm! Clamor! Construction! Reconstruction! Deconstruction! These are some of the signposts that lie ahead while listening to the relentless siege of Bagman Live at Cafe Oto. The sonic destroyer, British pianist Pat Thomas—who at age 60 is beginning to cut a wider swath through the free jazz world then ever before— spearheads fellow raconteurs, drummer Raymond Strid and saxophonist Sture Ericson, through a senses-clearing blowout of maximum proportions- Call the music what you will, even call it ...
Continue ReadingSture Ericson / Pat Thomas / Raymond Strid: Bagman Live At Cafe Oto
by John Sharpe
An improvised set from London's Cafe Oto in 2019 by an Anglo/Swedish trio brings together the piano and electronics of Pat Thomas (Derek Bailey's Company, Blacktop, Shifa), the saxophones of Sture Ericson (Position Alpha, The Electrics) and drums of Raymond Strid (Gush, Tarfala Trio, Barry Guy New Orchestra). After years of familiarity they united under the moniker Bagman in 2018, though this is the outfit's debut. As befits the principals' backgrounds in improv, free jazz and slightly more mainstream fare, ...
Continue ReadingDominic Lash / Pat Thomas: New Oxford Brevity
by John Eyles
Although Dominic Lash and Pat Thomas are frequent visitors to London and regularly gig there in a variety of contexts, for each of them Oxford seems a greater attraction than the capital, even though Lash now lives in Bristol rather than Oxford where he studied. The two first played together—Lash on bass guitar, Thomas on piano—on May 15th 2001 in a trio with Alex Ward. After that Thomas on piano and Lash on double bass had regular playing sessions together, ...
Continue ReadingJohn Dikeman, Pat Thomas, John Edwards, Steve Noble: Volume 1
by John Sharpe
For those worried about soaring energy bills, the inflammatory foursome of tenor saxophonist John Dikeman, pianist Pat Thomas, bassist John Edwards and drummer Steve Noble certainly offers one solution. They must have truly warmed the room at London's Cafe Oto on a cold February evening in 2019, on the evidence of the forty-minute program presented on Volume 1. It is hard to think of a more potent set of practitioners of the free jazz vernacular than this particular agglomeration, all ...
Continue Readingاسم [Ism]: Japanese Flower
by Mark Corroto
The trio اسم [Ism] is comprised of pianist Pat Thomas, bassist Joel Grip and drummer Antonin Gerbal. Japanese Flower by the trio is the second release from a 2018 recording session from Knuttal House in Tokyo, Japan. It is the trio's third release and it follows Metaphor (2019) and إنتقام الطبيعة اسبب تعقدها = Nature In Its Inscrutability Strikes Back (2015), all three released on Umlaut Records. اسم in Arabic, translates to 'Ism" or in English, 'The Name.' For sure, ...
Continue ReadingMoers Festival Interviews: Pat Thomas
by Martin Longley
In 2020, the Moers Festival in Germany presented one of the first full post-lockdown events, with its performers physically in place, and its four-day programme resolutely running in the accustomed Eventhalle venue. There was a stage at each end of this cavernous space, with the French-German Arte television crew filming for broadcast on its channel, as well as providing an online livestream. A small audience was allowed inside the Halle, and the weekender was a massive success, especially under such ...
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