Jo Thönes

Jo Thönes (born November 28, 1958 in Leverkusen ) is a German percussionist , jazz drummer and composer .

Live and act

Thönes began playing drums when he was thirteen. In 1976 and 1977 he had lessons at the Rheinische Musikschule in Cologne with Christoph Caskel , with whom he then studied at the Cologne University of Music . During his studies he was a member of Manfred Schoof's band , with whose big band he also performed at festivals in Frankfurt , Prague and Berlin in the 1980s . He also played in Sigi Busch's bands , for example in a trio with Tom van der Geld and was part of the Franco-German jazz ensemble of Henri Texier and Albert Mangelsdorff , with whom he also appeared in a trio. Since 1981 he has been a member of various Uli Beckerhoff ensembles , in whose recordings “Private Life” (1992) and “The Secret” (1994) he was also involved. He also played with the quartet of Kenny Wheeler and Tom Van der Geld, with Reinhard_Glöder , Christof Lauer , Tony Lakatos , Jiří Stivín , Dom Um Romao , Jasper van't Hof , Klaus Doldinger and Hugo Read . In 1989 he began working with Markus and Simon Stockhausen , which also resulted in recordings such as “Aparis” (1989) or “Jubilee” (1996). He was also heard as a guest soloist with the WDR Big Band Cologne and in several projects by Klaus König and in the “Celebration Orchestra” by Tony Oxley , but also with Joachim Kühn and with fusion musicians such as James Blood Ulmer , Christoph Spendel , Michael Sagmeister and John Schröder , John Abercrombie or Peter O'Mara . He currently plays with Silent Bass by Manfred Bründl .

Thönes also worked increasingly as an interpreter of New Music and was involved in performances of works by Charles Ives , Bernd Alois Zimmermann , Mauricio Kagel and Steve Reich , for example . He also composed ballet music for the New York Palindrome Dance Company.

Thönes also worked as a studio musician for film and television productions and as a lecturer at numerous jazz workshops and at the Folkwang University in the Ruhr area , before he was appointed professor at the Liszt School of Music Weimar in 1995 .

Lexigraphic entry

• Martin Kunzler : Jazz Lexicon. Volume 2: M – Z (= rororo-Sachbuch. Vol. 16513). 2nd Edition. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2004, ISBN 3-499-16513-9 .