The trombone’s role in 21st century music fascinates me. Given its wide range of textures and techniques – from the most singing to the completely inhuman – it provides a remarkably flexible voice for both ensemble and solo playing. On top of that, the signature directness and depth of the trombone sound create a unique potential for interacting with different acoustical spaces.
I was finally able to realize this potential when I joined Loop38 last spring. I already knew this ensemble would be a perfect opportunity to expand my musical boundaries, and as such I had compiled a substantial list of repertoire ideas for the group. This preparation was mostly owed to my recent discovery of an exhaustive online database of modern trombone-related chamber and solo works – talk about an opportune find! I researched each listed work one by one, selecting those which appealed to my ears as well as my musical goals. A particular standout was Solos (2010), a work for trombone and electronics by composer Julian Stein.
Naturally, this would be my first foray into performing with any sort of electronics. Solos in particular is built around a series of delays, triggered throughout the piece and overlapping with each other to create textures of varying density. The music itself is unhurried, simple yet melodic, with a range confined to just over an octave. Rather than relying on the technical, Solos instead emphasizes the textural capabilities of the trombone; how do the inherent vibrations and overtones in the trombone sound interact when layered upon themselves? Due to the randomness built into the Max patch controlling the delays, this question gets answered differently each time Solos is performed.
After initially performing Solos in November on the outdoor stage at First Congregational Church in Houston, I began to brainstorm venues around the city that would lend themselves well to a second performance. One aspect of Loop38 that really drew me in initially was its history of performing in unconventional spaces, exploring acoustics that couldn’t otherwise be found in a concert hall. Concerts at the Silos at Sawyer Yards or the Rothko Chapel were favorites of mine, and through the same vein, the doors were opened to us utilizing another unique Houston landmark: the Buffalo Bayou Cistern.
The Cistern, a former water reservoir built in the 1920s, is a hidden Houston gem. Its architecture is mesmerizing in its simplicity and repetition, providing a wide palette of visual textures as light bounces around all 87,500 square feet of the concrete chamber. And, thanks to its system of 221 concrete columns and glassy-still water at its base, the Cistern touts a reverb that lasts up to 17 seconds long. Call it an acoustical wonder of the world – I’ve never experienced anything quite like it before.
Now, imagine how I felt when I stepped into the Cistern for the first time and played a few notes on the trombone. As I mentioned earlier, the trombone’s sound is incredibly directional, and as a result it already carries very naturally. In this space, it was almost like I could see my sound bouncing off the back wall, zig-zagging through the maze of columns, reaching my ears, and going back for a couple more passes before finally dying out. Each time a note left my bell, it took on a life of its own that lasted long enough for me to appreciate even its finest details. I soon realized that the same question Solos poses with its electronic delays – how do the inherent vibrations of the trombone interact when layered upon themselves? – could also be posed by the natural reverb of the Cistern. This revelation allowed me to view Solos in an entirely new light, as each phrase layered itself note by note, leaving behind dense chords from which the next phrase would emerge. The recording we created thus eschews the electronics in favor of letting the Cistern’s resonance shine.
The process of recording Solos has led me through many firsts – collaborating with a composer, interacting with electronics, exploring unique spaces/acoustics, to name a few. I’m very excited to share the results! See them live next Sunday, March 14th at our concert Loop38 Up Close.
- Cameron Kerl
