Red Bell cs656

Superbly recorded explorations of timbre and hanging harmonics by NYC based percussionist Stephen Flinn. Lots of metallic shimmer with occasional (very) low end murmur and well-spaced punctuations.
"Open Window" gives us bowed cymbal with tapped singing bowl and beautiful bass drum. The problem with recordings of this particular technique is that the sound of the bow hairs dragging on the metal can overwhelm the sound of the cymbal itself. Thankfully that is not the case here, as the bow becomes near inaudible. A slow and meditative beginning. "Breath" is an extension of this technique, wherein the cymbal is stopped at different points in its vibrating (sounds like it's on a drum head) to expose different tones and pitches, from high to low. Creaks and squeaks interrupt briefly, but then we return to the singing ringing exclamations.
"Levels Of Sky" ups the ante a bit by layering multiple sources over the general metal resonance. Many bowings a-gong. Toward the end gorgeous drum rumble and odd beating patterns build up to a smeared picture of drumming. Imagine a blurry photograph of Baby Dodds. Low end and slippery plasticity are the modus for "Divulging", with what sounds like it could be the very Red (alarm) Bell of the title. Slowed down fog horns and weight-shifting on Naugahyde.
More than one of these pieces starts with one sound, then moves to another before returning to the original impulse. This creates contrast and a slight nod in the direction of composition. It's been said that one of the aims of the modern percussionist is to use their instruments to create drones, something which ostensibly they were not designed for, but to which they lend themselves quite well. This album is a good example of doing just that, displaying the richness of drawn-out drum-speak with resonance instead of rhythm. Jeph Jerman (The Squid's Ear)