Ariel Shibolet

To extend variety when limited to a single musical instrument is a daunting task, however Ariel Shibolet rises to the challenge. Stretching the high register of his soprano saxophone, Shibolet’s circular breathing delimits the horn’s capacity for note runs and, as his aspiration is usually audible, adds faint parentheses to clusters. The opener, "Slow Change, Slow Development,” is the sole lengthy piece present, and it delineates Shibolet’s tactic for the disc as a whole: undercutting repetition with nearly imperceptible alterations working change through the listener’s subconscious first. On the pieces that follow he combines overtones and tongue flutters with concurrent humming through the mouthpiece, eliciting ghostly three part harmony. On "Field n. 1” the sound of saliva flowing through the instrument creates submerged notes strangled for air. His dexterity and inventiveness never lead to grandstanding, preferring instead to maintain the underlying simplicity of his compositions and leaving ample room for the audience to find a comfortable place to experience them.