If you've been looking for a master Ocatatonic T-Rodimba player, your search is finally over! Tom Nunn is not only its inventor, he's a quite agile performer as well. Essentially the T-Rodimba is a piece of plywood with bent metal rods drilled into it. Banging the rods creates marimba-like tones. In the case of the Octatonic T-Rodimba, the tuning is that of the octatonic scale (alternating whole- and half-steps). Besides the metal rods, the T-Rodimba also features an assortment of auxiliary steel washers, finishing nails, textured surfaces, metal discs, etc. that provide other percussive effects. Mr. Nunn combines these sonorities to intriguing effect on Burning Palms, which collects ten of his solo improvisations.
Nunn's musical style is soundly in the experimental camp. He has little use for traditional melodies or harmonies. Instead, his works rely on gesture and motion, on texture and timbre. Some tracks on Burning Palms have a distant African sound, perhaps due to the fact that the T-Rodimba is a sort of giant version of the mbira (thumb piano). "Jelly N Jam" is one such piece. After sort of winding up for a minute, it kicks into a series of mesmerizing, rhythmic/melodic patterns that stop and start until the end of the work. "Nonsomnambulant Digression" is another fine piece; it lasts a bit longer and displays some of the more atmospheric sounds the T-Rodimba can make.
There's no escaping the fact that Nunn's work can be reminiscent of Harry Partch's compositions. As Partch is the grand-daddy of homemade instrument-makers, the mere fact that Nunn makes and performs on his own instruments unavoidably recalls Partch's work. But like Partch, Nunn seems concerned with the concept of tuning as a compositional tool. Though the octatonic scale is hardly as esoteric as some of Partch's tunings, Nunn's use of it indicates a desire to escape the tyranny of diatonicism in favor of something more exotic.
Burning Palms is the sort of CD you buy if you want to stretch. It requires you to bring a lot to the table, but if you do it sends you away more than full.
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