Tom Heasley – Desert Triptych (Fairfield/Arabesque)

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Tom Heasley is a classically trained tubist who has worked in any number of musical modes and contexts. Best known for his solo offerings, he has garnered international praise for using minimal instrumentation to form expansive works of rich, natural ambience and flow. Desert Triptych is Heasley’s third outing, and – following the wandering tuba manipulations of Where the Earth Meets the Sky (2001) and On the Sensations of Tone (2002) – sees the Los Angeles-based composer and performer traverse some of his most abstracted and sensory musical terrains to date. Over three extended pieces, Heasley creates a dense span of vocal and instrumental drones – utilising loops and delays to accentuate the whirring organics of his didgeridoo, vocal and electronic interface. Balancing a strong compositional awareness with a loose improvisational sensibility, Heasley works to develop texture and intonation, fading sinister vocal wails into pristine, angelic hymns. Leaving his tuba in the dust, he has taken his works to yet another new and distinct echelon. Desert Triptych is a record of engaging tactility and place – a record which buzzes with both the visceral and the considered.

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