Blue State

Blue State

The “blue” of this piece doesn’t just come through in the flatted notes in Elliott Sharp’s guitar playing or the minor-key refrain in the rough timbres of trombone and baritone sax. It’s also the color that a wind musician’s face might turn upon attempting to recreate the harmonics, arpeggiated runs, and furious trills of Sharp’s… Read more »

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NewMusicBox Staff

The “blue” of this piece doesn’t just come through in the flatted notes in Elliott Sharp’s guitar playing or the minor-key refrain in the rough timbres of trombone and baritone sax. It’s also the color that a wind musician’s face might turn upon attempting to recreate the harmonics, arpeggiated runs, and furious trills of Sharp’s solos. The title of this piece isn’t merely a buzzword that surfaces around national elections; Sharp and his group Terraplane make it a tense, anxious mood: sometimes still and calm, sometimes swarming and confrontational.

—DA