::: friends ::: kenny wollesen

Kenny Wollesen with John Farris

Drummer Kenny Wollesen whose musicality has begun to approach the legendary, has performed and recorded with musicians of many genres including Tom Waits in a 1993 collaboration with William Burroughs (Black Rider), and is the founding member of the New Klezmer Trio. Intricate cymbal work and a canny ear for stickings have made him indispensable to the downtown avant-garde music scene. His second album, Other Songs–has recently been released on–with–.

JF: Kenny Wollesen, how long have you been in New York?

KW: 12 years.

JF: Where did you come here from?

KW: I came from Santa Cruz, California

JF: Oh yeah.

KW: Yeah, via San Francisco.

JF: How old a fellow are you?

KW: 39.

JF: What were you doing out in California?

KW: Played a lot of music. Vibed with people.

JF: Who were you playing with out in California?

KW: Jessica Williams. I played a lot with Peck Orman. Some African bands. I played with a lot of different orchestras. I played with this band called The Corporate Orchestra, which is a big band. And I played in this band, New Klezmer Trio. It’s like avant garde Klezmer music.

JF: So what made you come to New York?

KW: New York is the center of the universe for music.

JF: So what did you do when you got here?

KW: Just started playing with everybody I could play with. One of the first people I met was Ilhan.

JF: Was that at Sweet Basil?

KW: No, that was before Sweet Basil. Actually at Cafe Del Artiste on Greenwich Street.

JF: When you went to Sweet Basil you played in his band over there?

KW: Yeah.

JF: You got real busy after that, huh? You formed your own band?

KW: I would freelance around New York, play with different people–played with John Zorn. I played with Sex Mob– I played with a lot of singers.

JF: When did you start playing with Love Trio?

KW: Well, I guess it was probably...I think five years ago.

JF: And you recorded with them?

KW: Yeah, and I played with Ilhan on a lot of projects. I went on the road with Ilhan to Europe, Turkey, Brazil.

JF: How’d you like that?

KW: Amazing.

JF: How do you like the Nublu thing?

KW: The Nublu thing is great! I’m really honored to be apart of this–the whole Nublu crew.

JF: You have a big band out at Zebulon?

KW: Yeah, kind of like a large band at Zebulon that plays every Tuesday. We do a lot of stuff outside as well. Outside type gigs.

JF: Do you travel with your own band?

KW: Not really, just in New York. From the west side to the east side.

JF: You play with Butch Morris’s big band too.

KW: That’s an amazing pleasure and honor. I think Butch is one of the greatest musicians around.

JF: What’s the most difficult thing about playing with Butch?

KW: Well, I think that it makes you.... It’s the most difficult thing, and it’s the most rewarding. It just makes you play.... It really comes down to what you’ve got in yourself. He really brings the best out. It’s hard sometimes, but it’s also the best shit.

JF: How do you contrast that with playing with other bands?

KW: On a certain level it’s not very different. You have to be there, but it’s a different level of concentration. And one thing is you have to have your eyes open all the time, which I’m not very used to that. I play with my eyes closed. But with Butch you have to play with your eyes open, so it’s a whole different thing.

JF: I noticed that. When you are playing with him you don’t get a chance to drift into a world of your own.

KW: Yeah.

JF: And playing with Love Trio, or stuff like that–Ilhan also plays in Butch’s band–but what is the difference with the two?

KW: It’s a whole different thing in certain ways.

JF: So what are you looking forward to?

KW: I’m looking forward to more gigs with Ilhan. And I’m looking forward to doing more stuff with Butch. I’m excited to do some gigs with Bill Frisel later on. I’m excited about that. And I guess my next gigs with John Zorn, who is another of my favorite musicians. So I’ve got a lot of good stuff that I’m looking forward to, that I’m happy to be apart of.

JF: Zorn has a big palette, huh?

KW: He has a big, big palette. I feel lucky to work with these leaders that are really powerful. Ilhan is one of those leaders that is really powerful. Zorn, Steve Bernstein, these people have powerful abilities, so I look forward to playing with these people.

JF: What would you say to the young musician coming to New York today?

KW: I would say, try and soak in it all–all of it that you possibly can because there’s so much of it to be a part of and to listen to. There’s just so much music from so many different kinds of places–different kinds of styles, different kinds of ways to look at things, hear things. I would tell young musicians to listen to as much as possible. Listen, listen, listen, listen, listen.

JF: Before you go, before I step out, I’m going to put you on the spot. What happens here has been explained as a kind of new music, and it references jazz, but it’s not jazz. But now what you do is firmly in the jazz tradition. At the same time, the whole vernacular, the whole idiom was born more or less out of segregation. In other words, if there hadn’t been segregation in America, there wouldn’t have been a jazz, more than likely. It had its antecedents in blues. A lot of the music that happens here does not make the reference to blues, and I’ve heard it said, no blues, no jazz. Do you agree with that?

KW: It’s hard to say, because I’ve been thinking a lot about all these words like jazz and blues...and all this stuff. And I feel like somehow, in the time that we live in now, those words end up being blocks to what the music is.

JF: Do you mean because language is changing with the social conditions?

KW: Yeah, the music is changing faster than the language is changing. Music is the quickest changing of all the art forms. It moves the fastest. You say this is jazz–you turn the corner, and the music has already changed, and it’s a different thing now. We’re living in the 21st century, and we’re still using words that were coined in the last century. It’s a word that puts people in a trap, I feel. Blues and rock and electronica–all these words, they just–classical music, African music–

JF: At the same time we have to communicate. We don’t only communicate musically, we use words. There are–in a way–classicism is indicative of the time frame it was produced in. So, I agree with you that–

KW: Music changes so fast! It moves so fast! Nobody could keep up with it. It moves faster than theater, it moves faster than books, it moves faster than art. It changes on a dime, in a night.

JF: I’m going to let you go with that.

This interview was conducted in July of 2005.


					Brazilian Girls Butch Norris Chantal Ughi Charles Stella Clark Gayton Dj Hardedge DJ Renochild Eddie Henderson ElodieO Erik Truffaz Jochen Rueckert John Farris Juini Booth Karina Zeviani Kenny Wollesen Malik Burke Marla Turner Martin Ogolter Petar Santiago U-roy	Kenny Wollesen with John Farris Drummer Kenny Wollesen whose musicality has begun to approach the legendary, has performed and recorded with musicians of many genres including Tom Waits in a 1993 collaboration with William Burroughs (Black Rider), and is the founding member of the New Klezmer Trio. Intricate cymbal work and a canny ear for stickings have made him indispensable to the downtown avant-garde music scene. His second album, Other Songs–has recently been released on–with–. JF: Kenny Wollesen, how long have you been in New York? KW: 12 years. JF: Where did you come here from? KW: I came from Santa Cruz, California JF: Oh yeah. KW: Yeah, via San Francisco. JF: How old a fellow are you? KW: 39. JF: What were you doing out in California? KW: Played a lot of music. Vibed with people. JF: Who were you playing with out in California? KW: Jessica Williams. I played a lot with Peck Orman. Some African bands. I played with a lot of different orchestras. I played with this band called The Corporate Orchestra, which is a big band. And I played in this band, New Klezmer Trio. It’s like avant garde Klezmer music. JF: So what made you come to New York? KW: New York is the center of the universe for music. JF: So what did you do when you got here? KW: Just started playing with everybody I could play with. One of the first people I met was Ilhan. JF: Was that at Sweet Basil? KW: No, that was before Sweet Basil. Actually at Cafe Del Artiste on Greenwich Street. JF: When you went to Sweet Basil you played in his band over there? KW: Yeah. JF: You got real busy after that, huh? You formed your own band? KW: I would freelance around New York, play with different people–played with John Zorn. I played with Sex Mob– I played with a lot of singers. JF: When did you start playing with Love Trio? KW: Well, I guess it was probably...I think five years ago. JF: And you recorded with them? KW: Yeah, and I played with Ilhan on a lot of projects. I went on the road with Ilhan to Europe, Turkey, Brazil. JF: How’d you like that? KW: Amazing. JF: How do you like the Nublu thing? KW: The Nublu thing is great! I’m really honored to be apart of this–the whole Nublu crew. JF: You have a big band out at Zebulon? KW: Yeah, kind of like a large band at Zebulon that plays every Tuesday. We do a lot of stuff outside as well. Outside type gigs. JF: Do you travel with your own band? KW: Not really, just in New York. From the west side to the east side. JF: You play with Butch Morris’s big band too. KW: That’s an amazing pleasure and honor. I think Butch is one of the greatest musicians around. JF: What’s the most difficult thing about playing with Butch? KW: Well, I think that it makes you.... It’s the most difficult thing, and it’s the most rewarding. It just makes you play.... It really comes down to what you’ve got in yourself. He really brings the best out. It’s hard sometimes, but it’s also the best shit. JF: How do you contrast that with playing with other bands? KW: On a certain level it’s not very different. You have to be there, but it’s a different level of concentration. And one thing is you have to have your eyes open all the time, which I’m not very used to that. I play with my eyes closed. But with Butch you have to play with your eyes open, so it’s a whole different thing. JF: I noticed that. When you are playing with him you don’t get a chance to drift into a world of your own. KW: Yeah. JF: And playing with Love Trio, or stuff like that–Ilhan also plays in Butch’s band–but what is the difference with the two? KW: It’s a whole different thing in certain ways. JF: So what are you looking forward to? KW: I’m looking forward to more gigs with Ilhan. And I’m looking forward to doing more stuff with Butch. I’m excited to do some gigs with Bill Frisel later on. I’m excited about that. And I guess my next gigs with John Zorn, who is another of my favorite musicians. So I’ve got a lot of good stuff that I’m looking forward to, that I’m happy to be apart of. JF: Zorn has a big palette, huh? KW: He has a big, big palette. I feel lucky to work with these leaders that are really powerful. Ilhan is one of those leaders that is really powerful. Zorn, Steve Bernstein, these people have powerful abilities, so I look forward to playing with these people. JF: What would you say to the young musician coming to New York today? KW: I would say, try and soak in it all–all of it that you possibly can because there’s so much of it to be a part of and to listen to. There’s just so much music from so many different kinds of places–different kinds of styles, different kinds of ways to look at things, hear things. I would tell young musicians to listen to as much as possible. Listen, listen, listen, listen, listen. JF: Before you go, before I step out, I’m going to put you on the spot. What happens here has been explained as a kind of new music, and it references jazz, but it’s not jazz. But now what you do is firmly in the jazz tradition. At the same time, the whole vernacular, the whole idiom was born more or less out of segregation. In other words, if there hadn’t been segregation in America, there wouldn’t have been a jazz, more than likely. It had its antecedents in blues. A lot of the music that happens here does not make the reference to blues, and I’ve heard it said, no blues, no jazz. Do you agree with that? KW: It’s hard to say, because I’ve been thinking a lot about all these words like jazz and blues...and all this stuff. And I feel like somehow, in the time that we live in now, those words end up being blocks to what the music is. JF: Do you mean because language is changing with the social conditions? KW: Yeah, the music is changing faster than the language is changing. Music is the quickest changing of all the art forms. It moves the fastest. You say this is jazz–you turn the corner, and the music has already changed, and it’s a different thing now. We’re living in the 21st century, and we’re still using words that were coined in the last century. It’s a word that puts people in a trap, I feel. Blues and rock and electronica–all these words, they just–classical music, African music– JF: At the same time we have to communicate. We don’t only communicate musically, we use words. There are–in a way–classicism is indicative of the time frame it was produced in. So, I agree with you that– KW: Music changes so fast! It moves so fast! Nobody could keep up with it. It moves faster than theater, it moves faster than books, it moves faster than art. It changes on a dime, in a night. JF: I’m going to let you go with that. This interview was conducted in July of 2005.