Cold Stability
New Focus, 2023
9/10
A collection of solo percussion works, the Oregon resident and percussion wizard Christopher Whyte fleshes out 4 pieces that dissect different paths to stillness through sound.
Toshio Hosokawa’s “Reminiscence” begins the listen with a bare but impactful landscape of lone marimba, where low registers and subtle harmonies comprise the 11+ minutes of dreaminess, and “Psalm 1”, by Sarah Hennies, follows with droning vibraphone that turns repetition into a refined science.
The title track, a Whyte original, leads the back half, and unfolds in 4 sections that used skinned drums, modular sounds and even the bottling process of wine glasses for the very unique songwriting, while Lou Harrison’s “Solo To Anthony Cirone” allows tuned pipes to illuminate his creative vision that manipulates pitch in its sonic cautiousness.
A listen that winds through a variety of timbres and continues to solidify Whyte’s knack for mesmerizing and absorbing song craft, the 4 pieces here radiate a very distinct, artistic quality that is particularly captivating.
Travels well with: John Aylward- Oblivion; Eugene O’Brien- Algebra Of The Night