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Nate Wooley: Seven Storey Mountain V
ByThe fifth in a series of seven extended works, originally commissioned for the Festival of New Trumpet, Seven Storey Mountain V is the most orchestral of Wooley's entries to date. From the series inception, the formation has grown from a trio of Wooley, David Grubbs on harmonium and free jazz percussionist Paul Lytton, to a nineteen person ensemble. The large group well suits the composer's overarching artistic goal to compose music that assimilates many human characteristics of communication, presenting those features as a collective or, at least, a shared experience.
The album consists of only the title track, running just under fifty minutes. From a stately crescendo to the simple sound of a lone bell, Seven Storey Mountain V takes its time in rebuilding from that austere phase. When it does, amplified violins, electronics and brass buzz quietly at first then take off in a more frenzied flight; the brass and stings eventually colliding in disarray. Wooley takes the ensemble back into the twist of a heavily orchestrated motif and closes with a more minimal treatment of the piece, the lone bell again taking the composition to its conclusion. There is less of the relentless density and harsh eruptions that frequent Wooley's work.
Seven Storey Mountain V is a significant benchmark in Wooley's career which continues to grow in notoriety. He is a 2016 recipient of the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artist Award and the curator of Database of Recorded American Music, an online research tool. Wooley is also the editor of Sound American, a journal aimed at positioning creative music in a more accessible manner. Seven Storey Mountain V would make a perfect case study in that venue. It is an ambitious and engaging work that deserves a wide audience.
Track Listing
Seven Storey Mountain V.
Personnel
Nate Wooley
trumpetNate Wooley: amplified trumpet, tape; Ben Vida: electronics; C. Spencer Yeh: amplified violin; Samara Lubelski: amplified violin; Colin Stetson: amplified bass saxophone; Josh Sinton: amplified contrabass clarinet; Dan Peck: amplified tuba; Ben Hall: drums; Ryan Sawyer: drums; Chris Dingman: vibraphone; Matt Moran: vibraphone; TILT Brass Octet: Chris McIntyre: trombone, conductor; Gareth Flowers: trumpet; Mike Gurfeld: trumpet; Tim Leopold: trumpet; Will Lang: trombone; Matt Melore: trombone; Jen Baker: trombone; James Roger: trombone.
Album information
Title: Seven Storey Mountain V | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Pleasure Of Text Records
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