Well, ask Thollem or better yet listen to his recording here. I am amazed at the range, in every sense of the word, that Thollem exhibits in his expressions. His technique is always impressive and here Thollem conveys ideas that make me think and want go back and listen again and again. Thank you, Thollem, for sharing your fearless, open-minded, deliberate, and unique approach to music with us. I think you are one important guiding light for many musicians, pianists in particular, who strive to develop their own unique voice and are in need of breaking out of what the funnel has poured into them. keep up the great work... -Ramin

Maybe the correct definition for Thollem's incredible, all-genre pianism is "large-scale". In about 46 minutes you can experience a series of tripping flights through the suspensions and the affirmations of a technically over-advanced magician whose grip on every cognoscible aspect of those 88 black and white keys is as strong as a garrotte on Bela Bartok's neck. The variety in McDonas' garden of chordal laboriousness and melodic saltations can't receive justice from my words; this music's longevity is directly embossed in a genetic code which bears the stigmates of experience bleeding with a profane interest for what's still behind any digital discovery...and quite often those fingers seem to know the answer to most of the upcoming interrogatives in good advance. Intimate and lyrical, overpowering and broken-boned, these thirteen compositions never tell a lie to our inquiring minds: Thollem McDonas is for real and "Solo piano" is yet another sample of his highly entertaining mastery.

I have all his CDs and have had the pleasure of hearing him live, and I must say my worries that all the jazz greats are dead and gone were melted away with the piano music of Thollem Mcdonas. Thollem swings real hard all the while making his own music traveling outside of the standard norm. True greatness was always about originality and no one I can think of living today has what Thollem Mcdonas has. This is music well worth hearing.

With the release of 'Solo Piano' Thollem McDonas knocks once more very determined on our door. In a relatively short period (2004-2005) he recorded and released three CDs. The first one "I'll meet you halfway out in the middle of it all" was a live recording of McDonas on piano and vocals plus Rick Rivera on trap set (for a review see: Vital Weekly 460). The second one "Everything's going Everywhere" has the same instrumentation and line up, but McDonas sings here only in a few tracks (For a review see: Vital Weekly 467 ). On the third CD we have McDonas playing solo on piano. With the release of this third CD an impressive and creative eruption seems to come to an end. But I hope (and expect!) another one will take place sooner or later. All three CDs are mature crystallization's of a clear compositional vision and carry a strong personal stamp. Besides the music is performed with great skill and verve. The compositions of McDonas are not over the top experimental, but do have many characteristic but unexpected moves and twists that are sometimes beyond my logic. Surprising changes of mood, style and intensity pass by. Intimate lyrical passages are followed by extravagant gestures of more rhythm-based sections or a cascade of notes, etc. McDonas is not seeking experiment just for the sake of experiment. No each piece is like a meditation or a reflection. This is also illustrated by titles McDonas choose for the compositions, like 'Death Is Our Only Deadline', 'Gone Beyond Reason To Find One', "Living Is The Strangest Thing I've done'. He must be a philosophic nature. As said in earlier reviews McDonas makes use of a diversity of musical styles and genres. His sense for experimentation is not of a post-modern deconstructivistic kind. But he is seeking constantly for unexpected and undiscovered corners. This is the case for example in the opening track "Ancient Futures". During the 5:26 minutes it takes, it is as if the piece starts a new from time to time, starting from a different idea, approach or mood. As if he does not know where to start or where to go. This has an intriguing effect. On the other hand you can sense there is an underlying unity which shows the integrating power of McDonas‚ compositional talent. In the 13 compositions that are on this album McDonas shows many faces, often with humor and irony without being superficial. They all breathe the same atmosphere of adventure and joy and are played by a gifted musician with a heart. Chapeau! (