Alto Trombone and Vibe (2015)

Sterkfontein, where I initially developed this piece, is situated in the Cradle of Humankind, outside Johannesburg. When I started thinking about a piece for Ivo and Jonny, I posited this question to myself: what kind of music might the early hominids have made? Then I allowed my imagination to run riot. Among other things the alto trombone could conjure up the lumbering of large prehistoric animals in this landscape with the very muted, often quite inaudible vibraphone perhaps suggesting more agile creatures.