Kenny Wollesen


Kenny Wollesen is an American drummer and percussionist.
Wollesen has recorded and toured with Tom Waits, Sean Lennon, Ron Sexsmith, Bill Frisell, Norah Jones, John Lurie, Myra Melford, Steven Bernstein, and John Zorn. He is a founding member of the New Klezmer Trio and a member of the Sex Mob and Himalayas groups.
He grew up in Capitola, California, studying at Aptos High School, and spending many teenage years playing with Donny McCaslin. He spent quality classroom time with flugelhornist and arranger Ray Brown at Cabrillo College. He also arranges and studied vibraphone at Cabrillo.
Wollesen utilizes the Burton grip when playing vibraphone.

Discography

As leader or co-leader

Pitch, Rhythm and Consciousness The Gnostic Preludes: Music of Splendor John Zorn: The Mysteries Rasa Rasa
With the HimalayasSon of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys
With Myra Melford
  • 2000 Dance Beyond the Color, Myra Melford's Crush
  • 2004 Where the Two Worlds Touch, Myra Melford's the Tent
With New Klezmer TrioMasks and Faces Melt Zonk Rewire Short for Something
With Sexmob
  • 1998 Din of Inequity
  • 2000 Solid Sender
  • 2000 Theatre & Dance
  • 2001 Sex Mob Does Bond
  • 2003 Dime Grind Palace
  • 2006 Sexotica
  • 2009 Sex Mob Meets Medeski: Live in Willisau
  • 2013 Cinema, Circus & Spaghetti: Sexmob Plays Fellini
  • 2017 Cultural Capital
  • 2023 The Hard Way
With others
  • 1997 Interpretations of Lessness, Andy Laster's Lessness
  • 1997 The Loan, Brad Shepik
  • 1998 At Home, Slow Poke
  • 1998 Fabulous, Drop Curlew
  • 2000 Hidden Gardens, Lan Xang
  • 2000 Redemption, Slow Poke
  • 2006 Ways Not to Lose, The Wood Brothers
  • 2021 Bond Riviera, Rocket Sci

As sideman

With Steve BeresfordSignals for Tea
With David ByrneGrown Backwards
With Nels ClineLovers
With Crash Test DummiesI Don't Care That You Don't Mind Jingle All the Way
With Sylvie CourvoisierDouble Windsor D’Agala Free Hopes
With Trevor Dunn's trio-convulsant
With Bill FrisellBlues Dream Unspeakable East/West Further East/Further West History, Mystery All We Are Saying The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved Guitar in the Space Age!
With Ben GoldbergThe Relative Value of Things Orphic Machine
With Jesse Harris
With Rickie Lee Jones
With Julian LageARCLIGHT Modern Lore
With Sean LennonInto the Sun
With Rudy Linka
With Kate McGarry
  • 2001 Show Me
  • 2005 Mercy Streets
With Ruper OrdorikaDabilen Harria Hurrengo goizean Kantuok jartzen ditut Memoriaren Mapan Haizea Garizumakoa Hodeien azpian Lurrean etzanda Guria ostatuan Amour et toujours
With Ellen Reid
With Carrie Rodriguez/Chip Taylor
  • 2005 Red Dog Tracks
  • 2006 Seven Angels on a Bicycle
  • 2007 Live from the Ruhr Triennale
  • 2010 The New Bye & Bye
With Jenny Scheinman
  • 2002 The Rabbi's Lover
  • 2004 Shalagaster
  • 2008 Crossing the Field
  • 2008 Jenny Scheinman
  • 2024 All Species Parade
With Tony Scherr
  • 2002 Come Around
  • 2007 Twist in the Wind
With John Scofield
With Leni Stern
  • 2000 Kindness of Strangers
  • 2004 When Evening Falls
With Rufus Wainwright
  • 2003 Want One
  • 2007 Release the Stars
With Tom Waits
With John ZornBar Kokhba Filmworks VIII: 1997 Filmworks XIII: Invitation to a Suicide Filmworks XIV: Hiding and Seeking 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 4 with Electric MasadaVoices in the Wilderness Electric Masada: At the Mountains of Madness with Electric MasadaFilmworks XVII: Notes on Marie Menken/Ray Bandar: A Life with Skulls Filmworks XVIII: The Treatment The Dreamers Filmworks XXI: Belle de Nature/The New Rijksmuseum O'o with The DreamersFilmworks XXIV: The Nobel Prizewinner Ipos: Book of Angels Volume 14 with The DreamersBaal: Book of Angels Volume 15 with Ben Goldberg QuartetIn Search of the Miraculous Dictée/Liber Novus Interzone The Goddess – Music for the Ancient of Days The Satyr's Play / Cerberus Nova Express with the Nova QuartetAt the Gates of Paradise A Dreamers Christmas with The DreamersMount Analogue The Gnostic Preludes with the Gnostic TrioRimbaud A Vision in Blakelight Music and Its Double The Concealed The Mysteries with the Gnostic TrioDreamachines with the Nova QuartetIn Lambeth with the Gnostic TrioOn Leaves of Grass with the Nova QuartetThe Testament of Solomon with the Gnostic TrioPellucidar: A Dreamers Fantabula with The DreamersThe Mockingbird The Painted Bird
With others