The Brass Globe

Tomas Dobrovolskis, composer, percussionist, multi-instrumentalist developed an original, new percussion instrument The Brass Globe to create a totally new genre and way of performing in regard to solo percussion. He presents his creative achievements in his solo album The Brass Globe (2005), the album Duets (2005) recorded with Andre Pabarchiute and Eugenijus Kanevichius and the album Take recorded with Zenklo Grupe (The Sign Group 2006).

“The instrument I’ve created I name The Brass Globe. The reason is both conceptual and symbolic: while creating the performing technique for The Brass Globe, I compiled a fusion of performing techniques based on percussion instruments of different origin (like congas, djembe, tabla, darabuka)  and adapted these techniques to The Brass Globe.

Listening to my compositions you will hear sounds and performing techniques which will remind you some of percussion instruments you may already know by heart; however, the sounds I have created go far beyond conventional sounds and rhythms…"

Tomas Dobrovolskis

My first instrument was a drum set made of my mother’s kitchenware. I was about 7 years old. I played shampoo bottles (I called it Bottlephone) with my friends when I was about 14. I studied percussion at Vilnius Conservatory continuing on to the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre and used to play vibrophones, marimbas and various other percussion instruments both traditionally and of course my way! Why? Because I was always wondering what can I get out of it besides the conventional. I used to play anything and everything - my kitchen table was perfect, the chair - unique, the refrigerator – amazing, mixers and drills – fantastic…

Then it happened a few years ago. I heard a sound. A sound I was looking for. It was The Brass Globe. It took two years for me to become acquainted with the spirit of The Brass Globe and to make it obey my hands. It took two creative years of discovery of new sounds, new performing techniques and developing a new concept, new style of improvisational music. The Brass Globe is marvelous. Its shape, its sound, its ergonomics are so original. It seems that The Brass Globe was made with me in mind. So, this is one story.

I am often asked how did I make this instrument, and this is another story. I did not make it. It was made at some factory half a century ago and used to be an entity for some chemicals. It found its new life when my father extracted it out of aluminium armour, polished, varnished it and… made a lamp. This lamp decorated our flat for more than thirty years. One day I decided to change it. I removed it and by accident hit it at the doorpost. I heard a sound. A sound I was looking for. It was The Brass Globe. It found its new life in my hands and it gave me a new life…

The Brass Globe opened me new territories of creative sound. It gave me an idea and my next discovery was The Glass. A simple vase similar in its shape to The Brass Globe and that I bought at some shopping centre became a stunning member of my musical armoury.

Please, enjoy the beauty of The Glass sound in my solo composition The journey (fragment) and Streams, recorded with Sign Group.