Cylindrical Whiskers (merelaniite)

Described as “Cylindrical whiskers with a metallic luster” by my colleague John Jaszczak who first discovered merelaniite, named in honor of the miners in the Merelani hills of Tanzania where the first analyzed specimens came from. According to Jasczak, “It lacks the eye-catching qualities of the big colorful gems that the workers toil to unearth in the area’s underground tunnels, but its intricate beauty reveals itself when viewed up close. Under a microscope, merelaniite’s layers look like delicate paper rolled into a scroll, a rare structure in the mineral world.” To express this idea musically, the idea of “cylinders and whiskers” was very interesting to me. Each of the players live in their own musical “cylinder” with tiny gestures or “whiskers” that emerge. Changes occur subtly and slowly over time. The idea of beauty “revealing itself when viewed up close” is interesting to me.