Theon Cross, tuba player and composer, member of the incredible Sons of Kemet, has released a new single, “Wings” (along with a cover of Aswad’s “Back to Africa”). Cross plays tuba the way Colin Stetson plays saxophone, exploring new sounds and ways of playing, treating the instrument in a way that disguises it, masks it, pushes it into places you wouldn’t expect. “Wings” starts off with a tuba riff that sounds more like a plucked bassline, percussion enters, and then Cross plays the main theme, diverges, and takes off halfway through the track, with quick blasts and outbursts punctuated by long, beautiful tones. Wonderful tune.
[Wings]