Calcite Gold Vinyl version. The improvisational trio Liths brings Sarah Hennies back to Dinzu Artefacts alongside drummer/percussionist Willie B. and saxophonist/percussionist Keir Neuringer. Grounded in the percussion work of all three members, with saxophone and vibraphone extending the ensemble’s instrumental palette, the group deploys expressive textures in daring and spontaneous formal contexts.

The trio emerged from Ithaca’s small but notably active experimental music community in 2022, taking shape through a series of semi-annual local performances. Ascending the Depths was recorded by Matt Saccuccimorano in October 2025 at Electric Wilburland, a locally revered church-turned-recording studio.

Ascending the Depths consists of eight conceptually focused studio improvisations that explore sound and texture in playful, energetic interaction held in tension with the focused meditative nature of Hennies’ work outside the trio.

What may make Liths particularly fascinating to those familiar with the trio’s members is the way the music remains firmly within the continuum of their individual practices while simultaneously multiplying and refracting them through the unlikely context of the trio. Their interplay and collective sonic risk-taking in live performance is riveting, and while the inherent theatricality of percussion remains ever-present, it is never the point. Rather, it is through the rigorous exploration of each sonic gesture down to its essence that new depths are revealed and new heights attained.

Sarah Hennies: vibraphone, gongs, whistle, percussion. Willie B.: drums, percussion. Keir Neuringer: saxophones, piano, percussion. All music composed in the moment. Recorded November 7, 2025 at Electric Wilburland, Newfield, NY. Engineered by Matt Saccuccimorano. Mixed by Willie B. spring 2026. Mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi, July 2026. Cover photography by Matthias Urban. Limited edition of 100 copies.