23/09/2025
➡️ https://bengerstein.bandcamp.com/album/-
”Voice memos from trombone practice under the George Washington Bridge, along Henry Hudson Parkway south in New York City, Washington Heights. Recorded on a Pantech p7040 mobile phone from 2010-2015.
Coordinates: 40.84995162225078, -73.94463321679821
Recording practice has always been the thing. These short recordings served as personal bookmarks, statement exercises, reminders on feelings, discoveries, experiments, ideas, appreciations, reminiscences... as well as SMS messages sent to provoke friends and motivate musical meanings and shared understanding, keeping us connected in our work together as improvisers. Audio messages fueled by that intense drive to practice, stretch and train hard; our shared commitment to open up the playing and experiences. This spirit was made possible by all of this connection, history, and the dynamic performance opportunities there were.
This spot beneath the bridge provided me with an enormous private studio for projection and warmup unlike any I'd known before, 5 minutes from my door by bike. It served and saved my life many a time, rain or shine or snow, day and night, helping to expand me out in body and instrument to let go of technique and warmup more fully, target future meetings, get perspective, and free me from more restrictive, unhealthy, imbalanced limitations or habits. We all need to get big and extend; take our studios outside. Earth studio!
I was so grateful for that place while I had it, and remember it so well hearing these glimpses again, and the meanings and reasons behind all of this expression and the life at that time.
(I eventually needed to relocate to a different spot due to increasing encounters with police, bridge security, and individuals on the down and out.)
With love and gratitude to the life and everyone I have been able to share this journey with.”
132 track album
