Theloni On Wry
Performing characteristic and original jazz
in duo, trio and quartet formations
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Theloni On Wry |
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| About the band | ||
| Transcontinental Origins | |
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It all started one night in Chicago, when John sat in at a Swing dance
event and played a solo version of Pannonica on guitar.
Solomon Douglas, a friend of David's from Boston, immediately
recognized the song and thereby introduced himself to John as a fellow
Monkophile, and advised John to get in touch with David upon returning
to San Francisco.
David and John met a few times and digested an underground
bible of Monk lead sheets (by Pandaleis Karayorgis), worked up a set
of duo material, and proceeded to look for a rhythm section. More
coincidence ensued.
John suggested a drummer he knew from jam sessions named Rafael
Rivera, also hailing from Boston. In fact, he and David had jammed
back East while they were simultaneously in different bands with the
bassist Jane Wang (The Lydian People's
Front).
Finally, David met Carl Herder in an otherwise inauspicious place: an
adjacent cube to his at their now-defunct start-up day gig in Oakland.
Since the quartet solidified, TOW has been ripping up audiences at
gigs throughout the bay area and attracting a dedicated following.
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| The Music | |
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As their name implies, Theloni On Wry performs a fair swath of the
ouvre of Thelonious Monk.
In particular, Theloni On Wry plays a lot of Monk's lesser-known
compositions like Work, Let's Call This, Four In One, Humph, Skippy
and Thelonious, in addition to warhorses like
Trinkle Tinkle, Bemsha Swing, Epistrophy and
Ruby, My Dear.
More recently, we've been killing Monk's Dream, Criss-Cross, Brilliant
Corners, Bye-Ya and Evidence.
In its initial development, Theloni On Wry also played songs from
composers like Wayne Shorter, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie and even
Black Sabbath, as well as original compositions by the prolific
composers in its ranks, David and John.
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| Modularity | |
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Theloni On Wry prefers to play as a quarter, but we are able
to accomodate gigs in smaller formations, such as:
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