Straight Ahead Jazz by the Tom Wright Trio

Coming from DC to the Twin Cities in November 2025, Tom Wright has put together a jazz trio to continue the music he was playing in DC. Using 10-string electric mandolin like a guitar, the trio tackles standards and originals. Jim Chenoweth on bass and Steve Lewis on drums are a professional rhythm section, and are part of a planned recording project. Growing up in the DC area, Tom learned violin, then taught himself guitar, joined a prog-rock band in 1970, and then switched back to classical music and joined the Chicago Symphony in 1981. Picking up jazz while in Chicago, first on violin and viola, he fell in love with mandolin, particularly the 10-string version with extended low range. Several albums of his recordings are on BandCamp and all streaming services. Performance videos at YouTube show what the 10-string mandolin can offer as a main instrument. Tom plays at Tapestry, for both contra and English Country dance, using his acoustic 10-string.