146:, where he was employed by a construction company and became involved with the music scene. During this time, he met his future wife and musical partner, the poet Ijeoma Chinue Thomas, who was visiting from Washington, D.C.. Thomas moved to D.C. to join her, and the couple soon married before moving back to the west coast, settling in Oakland.
217:, and commented: "The Thomases practice a mixture of free jazz and poetry, and practice it well. Mr. Thomas played interval-jumping improvisations that recalled bird songs and Eric Dolphy; Ms. Thomas intoned and repeated lines, going from whisper to shriek. They played in close communication, feeding off each other's sputtering energy."
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review, Michael G. Nastos wrote: "The bass clarinet of
Oluyemi Thomas is freely able to discourse at length in an overblown harmonic fashion reminiscent of latter-period John Coltrane. This unabashed sovereignty creates more rhythmic opportunities than melodic ones. He sounds like an extension of
243:
According to Thomas, his music is an expression of his Baháʼí faith. In an interview, he commented that "music comes from the world of beyond... to convey collective reality," and stated that the performance of music is "having a conversation with God."
224:, calling him "my great teacher." Although Thomas performs on both bass clarinet and saxophone, he stated that "the bass clarinet has that floor-of-the-ocean tone that I really adore." In an
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David Murray, and the difference is the emphasis on building sheets of sound gradually from pianissimo to forte and back again on... longer improvisations."
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153:. Over the years, in addition to releasing a number of albums, they toured the world, and collaborated with a wide range of musicians, including
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240:. Thomas began experimenting with notation in the 1970s, and said that his engineering background influenced the appearance of his scores.
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674:"The Visual as a Quickening Sound Vibration: An Interview with Musician Oluyemi Thomas, Part II"
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stated that the group was responsible for "the best moments" of the opening concert of the 2002
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Together, the duo founded a group called
Positive Knowledge, performing works inspired by their
539:"The Visual as a Quickening Sound Vibration: An Interview with Musician Oluyemi Thomas, Part I"
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596:"Positive Knowledge – Sixteen Years: The East Bay's Little- Known Cultural Treasure"
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Thomas refers to his music as "adventurous jazz," and acknowledged the influence of
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236:, which, according to Duane Deterville, who interviewed him, resemble paintings by
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In addition to being an improvisor, Thomas composes, and is known for his colorful
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Years given are for the recording(s), not first release, unless stated otherwise.
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114:. He began playing clarinet as a child, and was exposed to the music of
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489:Free Jazz and Free Improvisation: An Encyclopedia
388:Marco Eneidi & The American Jungle Orchestra
487:Jenkins, Todd S. (2004). "Positive Knowledge".
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460:Buddy Systems: Selected Duos and Trios
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904:20th-century American male musicians
672:Deterville, Duane (August 4, 2012).
568:"Oluyemi Thomas: Positive Knowledge"
537:Deterville, Duane (August 4, 2012).
205:, and Michael Wimberly. Writing for
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566:Longley, Martin (July 24, 2008).
914:American jazz bass clarinetists
909:African-American jazz musicians
269:(Eremite, 1999) with Alan Silva
333:At the Center of the Threshold
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646:Ratliff, Ben (May 30, 2002).
130:by his parents. He attended
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736:Bivins, Jason C. (2015).
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700:"Oluyemi Thomas: Nigeria"
443:H.Con.Res.57/Treasure Box
16:American jazz saxophonist
329:(Music & Arts, 1995)
323:(Music & Arts, 1994)
91:bass clarinet, saxophone
315:With Positive Knowledge
357:(Charles Lester, 2006)
351:(Charles Lester, 2005)
253:As leader or co-leader
144:San Francisco Bay Area
369:(self-released, 2018)
321:Another Day's Journey
291:(Not Two, 2007) with
259:Unity in Multiplicity
622:"Positive Knowledge"
425:Perles Noires Vol. 2
310:and Michael Wimberly
273:Before The Beginning
862:Beneath Tones Floor
698:Nastos, Michael G.
299:Beneath Tones Floor
106:Thomas was born in
850:The Power of Light
652:The New York Times
390:(Botticelli, 1996)
288:The Power of Light
207:The New York Times
136:Ann Arbor Township
919:Bass clarinetists
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410:(Shanachie, 1998)
335:(Ear Light, 2000)
261:(Rastascan, 1996)
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361:Edgefest Edition
355:Invisible Wisdom
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101:Oluyemi Thomas
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704:. Retrieved
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183:Sunny Murray
175:Miya Masaoka
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163:Henry Grimes
151:Baháʼí Faith
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889:1952 births
822:Live albums
453:Gino Robair
248:Discography
222:Eric Dolphy
211:Ben Ratliff
167:Kidd Jordan
883:Categories
835:Alan Silva
811:First Ones
702:. AllMusic
467:References
435:Alan Silva
374:As sideman
348:First Ones
304:NoBusiness
187:Larry Ochs
159:Eddie Gale
80:Occupation
45:1952-08-16
30:Birth name
408:Yo Miles!
238:Kandinsky
70:free jazz
226:AllMusic
112:Michigan
83:Musician
56:Michigan
869:, 2008)
857:, 2006)
837:, 1999)
803:Nigeria
678:SF MOMA
543:SF MOMA
280:Nigeria
140:Bechtel
108:Detroit
52:Detroit
867:Sirone
865:(with
853:(with
845:(2001)
833:(with
814:(2005)
806:(2001)
308:Sirone
126:, and
62:Genres
626:CNMAT
451:With
433:With
415:With
395:With
379:With
708:2022
685:2022
659:2022
633:2022
608:2022
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399:and
66:Jazz
39:Born
134:in
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