One of the notable features of India Gailey‘s instrument, the cello, is its capacity to assert a large but beautiful sonic presence. Conventional wisdom about the instrument would likely say otherwise, but Gailey’s playing is rooted there rather than in said conventions. Everything they do with the cello seems to stem from sculpting this presence dynamically rather than, say, mimicking the human voice, or simply stringing together notes. In their universe, the bow and fingers don’t represent two separate domains (rhythm and pitch. respectively) but rather collude so that the tones they produce undergo constant transformation. Series of precise overtones lunge into the foreground and recede to reveal the fundamental as successive utterances merge to form smooth gradients between various hues. Of course, Gailey also demonstrates a great deal of conventional facility on the instrument; it’s just that when one surrenders to being mesmerized by this vibrant dance of resonances, virtuosity becomes a secondary concern.