{"id":4956,"date":"2022-08-09T22:47:52","date_gmt":"2022-08-10T03:47:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=4956"},"modified":"2022-08-09T22:47:57","modified_gmt":"2022-08-10T03:47:57","slug":"onyx-berliner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/onyx-berliner\/","title":{"rendered":"True Voice: A Conversation with Sasha Berliner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Onyx has long been a mysterious substance. Many ancient civilizations used the mineral in ornate jewelry but upheld the stone for more than its attractiveness. The Romans believed a necklace engraved with the image of Mars, their god of war, would provide courage to soldiers in battle. The Persians believed onyx could help with epilepsy. Later, English midwives used it to ease childbirth. This combination of beauty and bewilderment makes Onyx<\/em> (JMI, 2022) the perfect title for vibraphonist Sasha Berliner\u2019s second outing as a leader. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Berliner\u2019s chosen instrument has long been associated with sounds a bit left of center. The vibraphone\u2019s spinning fans generate a tremolo effect, uncommon to most instruments. The vibraphone is also equal parts acoustic and electric. An early Twentieth Century creation, it is an unabashedly modern instrument with an unconventional timbral range. There is a reason why Arthur Lyman used the vibes so heavily in his exotica recordings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than shy away from these otherworldly aesthetics, Berliner seemingly mines for them. This is particularly evident on \u201cJade,\u201d where echoing vibes undergird a somewhat steady drum shuffle as if portraying the movement of pickaxes in a cave searching for the song\u2019s namesake. Similarly, on\u201cEphemerality,\u201d vibes swerve and intertwine with piano and synthesizer. \u201cCrescent Park (In Elliptical Time)\u201d, a reflection on memories of loves past, sounds equally affixed to the present moment and those lost in all but a memory. As if to prove these unusual qualities come as much from her mallets as her compositional pen, Berliner also offers two nontraditional versions of \u201cMy Funny Valentine,\u201d a song only a few decades younger than the vibraphone itself. Joining Berliner in her sonic spelunking is a powerful team of artistic excavators: drummer Marcus Gilmore, bassist Burniss Travis II, and pianist\/keyboardist James Francies. On certain treks, Jaleel Shaw, Thana Alexa, and Julius Rodriguez also join the crew.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We sat down with Berliner to discuss the album, her influences, and the importance of having your own unique artistic voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PostGenre: Going back to before the vibraphone, you started as a rock drummer?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sasha Berliner: That\u2019s right. However, I also had some knowledge of the piano before starting on the vibes.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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PG: Do you feel that starting as a rock drummer changed how you approach the vibraphone compared to someone with a more traditional jazz background or who started on the vibes as their first instrument?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SB: Yes. The fact I started on drums gave me a better understanding of rhythm but a weakened understanding, at first, of melody and harmony. After I started playing vibraphone, I began focusing more on the melodic and harmonic aspects of music. Of course, that focus made me more interested in composition more generally. Also, some have told me that my phrasing has an interesting rhythmic quality, which could come from my having started on drums.\u00a0<\/p>

But the rock influence was more significant to my musical development than the specific instrument. I grew up with every kind of rock music, whether alternative, electronic-leaning, or heavy metal. I have listened to and performed them all over the years. Of course, it\u2019s possible my rock background influenced my approach to vibraphone as well.\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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PG: Do you see some great divide between these rock influences and those coming from jazz? Or are they united in some way?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SB: I hear a direct line that passes through my influences. There\u2019s something interesting and meditative in the music of Radiohead or Big Thief that is shared with the music of Weather Report, Miles Davis, or Miho Hazama.\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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