Precipitations
New Focus, 2023
9/10
The iconoclastic composers/performers Steven Ricks and Ron Coulter bring their inimitable prowess to these spontaneous and unpredictable pieces that blur the eletronics with trombone and percussion.
“Tap, Rattle, And Blow” opens the listen with the lively brass and wild percussion that’s complemented by a flute sample and bluesy nods, and “Late Night Call” follows with timbral manipulations and pitch-less electronica unfolding with nods to dated technology.
In the middle, “Charming Ways” emits plenty of adventurous samples of spoken text via the random percussive bouts and friction sounds, while “Button Drop” spotlights Coulter’s exciting percussion in rich, asymmetrical ways.
The final piece, “Slurry”, builds into a thicker appeal of harmonized trombone, calm glockenspiel and even the sounds of birds chirping.
An extremely inventive body of work that pairs performance art with sonic exploration, Ricks and Coulter turn improvisation into a refined science here, where reverb moments, haunting bits and much emphasis on timbre is nothing short of stunning.
Travels well with: Ben Verdery & Ulysses Quartet- A Giant Beside You; Zohn Collective- John Liberatore: Catch Somewhere