The Inside Story: Thomas Mann and FIGMENTS VOL. 3

A dynamic assortment of contemporary chamber music from today’s composers is brought to life on FIGMENTS VOL. 3. from Navona Records. Featured on the album is composer Thomas Mann Jr’s Dance of the Lizards, a playful exploration of the rhythms and melodies made by the mating geckos and other nocturnal creatures heard by Mann late one night.

Today, Thomas is our featured artist on “The Inside Story,” a blog series exploring the inner workings and personalities of our composers and performers. Read on to learn about the album that inspired his love for Jazz, and a humorous moment in his piece that brings him joy upon each listen…

Who was your first favorite artist(s) growing up?

Growing up I was lucky enough to have two great musical talents around me, my grandmother who was the organist for a large cathedral type Roman Catholic church, and my great aunt who was an immigrant pianist from Poland. Bach, Vivaldi, Hayden, and the intricacies of the fugue from my grandmother; Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Liszt, and the passion of the Romantic era from my aunt. Part of the reason my passion for music has led me to composition is because I soaked up different styles and ethnomusicological differences as one all-encompassing love; music. The first “contemporary” artist I remember really falling for, mainly because I was beginning my path as a pianist, was Dave Brubeck. The album Take Five was gifted to me randomly by my 4-year-old younger brother. After training in classical, it was inevitable I go head long into Jazz, but I never turned my nose at good music, no matter the style, and as an American teenager, I listened to everything from heavy metal to bluegrass, absorbing its tonal nuances and design. I returned to formal classical training for college after a decade-and-a-half pop performance career. I believe these eclectic influences have made me the composer I am so far today. They created my personal style and abilities to compose for a design.

When did you realize that you wanted to be an artist?

I knew I was a musician as early as I can remember, much to the dismay of some of my elders because of the difficult career path. I have always purposed my life to do whatever it takes to play and create music. To me it is not a job or a career, it is who I am. I think of nothing else and never have. The challenge has always been to make your way through life with this skill set and make a living while developing and hanging on to your creative identity.

If you could spend creative time anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

I do take inspiration from my surroundings, but they may or may not be influencing my work. That being said, the best places to compose for me are deep within nature, where silence and solitude allow you to hear and develop your ideas. National Parks like Big Bend in Texas, or during solo camping outings late at night staring into a fire, this is where I can think without thinking and hear without needing to be heard.

What was your favorite musical moment on the album?

I must take the opportunity this question affords me to first point out a measure that no matter how many times I hear it, I still chuckle aloud because it truly captures the hilarious banter I was trying to emulate. After the motif has been established and the conversation between the voices has been going on for a bit, at measure 48, there is a beat of silence as if they all seem to stop and think for a second, but the violin, as if un-cued, chimes in as an afterthought, or just to squeeze in a last word — makes me laugh every time…

What does this album mean to you personally?

I work very hard on trying to grow intellectually, personally, and creatively every day. Though I have had successes in other aspects of my musical journey, I see the release of this piece as a new and wonderful beginning to a new and different era in my composition career.

Is there a specific feeling that you would like communicated to audiences in this work?

The design and intent of this piece is very straight forward; to emulate the mating calls of the geckos I heard late one Spring evening outside my bedroom window, but there is a deeper and more human component to the piece. The Adagio section is very introspective, (and I thank the geckos for initiating the idea), because I was able to hear those motifs and manipulate them in a different and more contemplative way. As my mind and my ear wandered through the adagio, you can hear that even complex, and sometimes humanly designed systems, are just made up of these smaller and simpler entwined conversations. In this case it starts between lizards and drifts to my daydream, then pulled back again.

The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the artist and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views and opinions held by PARMA Recordings LLC and its label imprints, subsidiaries, and affiliates.