Sanctified Shells

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Trombonist Steve Turre’s second instruments are shells, and they’re just that–large conch shells with minimal modifications to turn them into musical instruments. He first played them publicly with Roland Kirk‘s band in the 1970s, and they represent a deep spiritual connection for him, reaching to the origins of music making and tapping into a universal connection. Their sound is at once unearthly and deeply rooted in human experience, hollow yet full, and their special resonance is explored to telling effect by Turre and his company of doubling trombonists, as they shift back and forth between familiar and exotic idioms. The music ranges from the heady funk of “Gumbo” to the raga of “Beautiful India” and the sizzling rhythms of the Afro-Cuban powerhouse “Macho.” –Stuart Broomer