NATE WOOLEY — Nate Wooley / C. Spencer Yeh / Audrey Chen / Todd Carter : NCAT (review)

NATE WOOLEY — Nate Wooley / C. Spencer Yeh / Audrey Chen / Todd Carter : NCAT album cover Album · 2013 · Jazz Related Improv/Composition Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
snobb
New York-based trumpeter Nate Wooley is one of the fastest rising new name in advanced jazz scene not only in US, but around the world as well. During last few years he built a strong reputation as extremely innovative artist in avant-garde jazz and even successfully stepped on mainstream ground with his last year's "(Dance To) The Early Music" (where "early music" is obviously a bop-based mainstream jazz).

Not many fans of Wooley's jazz side know that he has a long lasting experience experimenting with pure improvisation, sound textures,noise,etc,etc. "NCAT" (for (N)ate + (C). + (A)udrey + (T)odd) are one of Wooley collaborative work,demonstrating his interest in electro-acoustic music.

Recorded in Amsterdam's STEIM during Nate Wooley, violinist / vocalist C.Spenser and cellist/vocalist Audrey Chen residence, partially composed and mostly improvised material has been sent to fourth NCAT member Todd Carter (who is credited as pianist as well so possibly he added some own music in the mix as well)for mixing. In real life "the mixing" became serious deconstruction and reconstruction and final mix is as much a product of studio processing as initial live recording.

Sound of all instruments participated is difficult to recognize even if in moments there are obvious strings and processed trumpet traces. Added noises, analog modulators loops and clouds of electronic sounds are very organic, voices (from meditative to screaming) are almost unprocessed what gives to the music an unique balance between synthetic and organic.Some electronic noises even imitates birds voices (not those sleepy ones from esoteric ambient but scratchy crows screams over the city park in winter early evenings),police sirens somewhere on the background make music very realistic and urban. Human voices varies from wordless whispers to shaman moaning and all this changes fast never repeating.

In no way true jazz recording,NCAT is an interesting alternative listening for fans of electro-acoustic experimentation, noise improvs but can be recommended for brave searchers of new horizons, only symbolically related with jazz tradition.
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