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Ben Neill: Mutantrumpet Ninja

Series: Echo Location: Soundings for New Music
From: John Diliberto
Length: 00:03:30

Ben Neill is the sole player of an instrument called the mutantrumpet. It has three different bells, two sets of valves, a mini-trombone slide and electronics. Neill deploys this contraption in electronica forays full of morphing rhythms and melodies that shift through timbral voices as if they were injected into a kaleidoscope. Ben Neill has been playing the mutantrumpet for about two decades and he talks about his latest moves in an album called Night Science. Read the full description.
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Piece Description

Ben Neill is the sole player of an instrument called the mutantrumpet. It has three different bells, two sets of valves, a mini-trombone slide and electronics. Neill deploys this contraption in electronica forays full of morphing rhythms and melodies that shift through timbral voices as if they were injected into a kaleidoscope. Ben Neill has been playing the mutantrumpet for about two decades and he talks about his latest moves in an album called Night Science.

It's part of Echo Location: Soundings for New Music, the weekly digest from Echoes host and Peabody Award winning producer John Diliberto, exploring the latest in modern music with quick hitting interviews, music and commentary. Each edition of Echo Location features a beautifully edited music blend, that's combined with John's thoughtful insights and artists's comments to make a sound-rich journey for listeners. Each episode can stand on its own or be scheduled as a weekly or occasional series.

Broadcast History

WXPN Philadelphia and WITF Harrisburg

Transcript

:15
WHEN BEN NEILL STEPS ON STAGE, THERE'S USUALLY NO ONE ELSE THERE BUT HIM. YET AS SOON AS HE BLOWS INTO TRUMPET, A VIRTUAL ORCHESTRA OF SURREAL PHANTOM MUSICIANS EMERGES FILLING THE ROOM LIKE A BRASS BAND AS HEARD BY SALVADOR DALI.

MUSIC

:06
BEN NEILL IS A CLASSICALLY TRAINED TRUMPETER, BUT YOU WON'T FIND THE TRUMPET HE PLAYS AT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC STORE.

:09
BN: a lot of people have looked at my instrument and said, “Well, you know, that’s a real something out of the Star Wars bar” or something like that.

MUSIC BITE

:15
HIS INSTRUMENT IS THE MUTANTRUMPET WHICH LOOKS LIKE A TRUMPET AFTER THAT'S BEEN ASSIMILATED BY THE BORG FROM STAR TREK. PICKING IT UP, BEN DEMONSTRATES HIS HORN WHICH HAS THREE DIFFERENT BELLS: A REGULAR TRUMPET, A MUTED TRUMPET AND A PICCOLO TRUMPET

:13

BN: So, just the pure acoustics sound sounds like this –

[demo]

:19
It also has a qu...
Read the full transcript

Timing and Cues

Incue: [sonar sound] + This is an Echo Location: Soundings for New Music.

Outcue: I’m John Diliberto and this has been an Echo Location.

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