Dan Blacksberg has made a career of taking the trombone to places it wasn’t meant to go, because his dauntless drive compels him to do so. The Psychic/Body Sound System (Relative Pitch Records) is a solo ‘bone affair, and Blacksberg harnesses the total freedom of working with no other musicians to make his most brazen expression yet.
The Psychic/Body Sound System goes beyond any and all structures placed on music with an alternate mission to explore new sonic territory for the trombone. A lot of that falls on Blacksberg’s application of advanced techniques, such as circular breathing and being able to stretch the pitch of the trombone to an unimaginable range. There, too, are some creative aids to help Blacksberg achieve his goals, such as unconventional mic’ing techniques, re-amping, and – in one case – preparing the trombone. That said, he’s still walking the tightrope because there are no effects or overdubs and every performance is pure improvisation.
With a little bit of technology and a lot of imagination, it’s amazing the sounds one can wring from a trombone. The low, low rumble of the brief opener “We walk through the Petrified Gate” does the tonal limbo. Sub-bass, rumbling drones are also the order of the day for “Feeding the great babbler,” “Liquified tides of thought,” “Gliding over the Dimensional Glacier” and “We exhale the Gate closed.”
On “Infinitely shattering crystal wishes,” every puff is made into a thump or a whack leaving behind a resonating piano in its wake, making this as much about percussion than it does about tonalities. Using a prepared trombone, Blacksberg’s pitch on “Observing the endless screamer” goes almost up to dog whistle level; he subtly varies his attack while staying up high.
Sometimes though, it comes down to good old-fashioned chops, and Blacksberg puts them on display on the unadorned “Tale of a survival,” played with some aggression but also purpose. “Tale of refusing futility” is a heady mixture of notes and no-note noise, fueled by unrelenting spunk. “Softgrind Lament” ventures the middle of the pitch scale, this time with a plunger and applied with a sad demeanor.
I’ve always thought of trombonists as generally brasher than other horn players, and Dan Blacksberg exemplifies that spirit more than any of ’em. The Psychic/Body Sound System is targeted for very open minds (and ears), and for those who are, hitching a ride on Blacksberg’s journey can be quite rewarding.
The Psychic/Body Sound System is available now and can be obtained from Bandcamp.
*** The Psychic/Body Sound System on Amazon ***
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