FEATURING NATE WOOLEY ON TRUMPET, FRED LONBERG-HOLM ON CELLO & ELECTRONICS AND JASON ROEBKE ON BASS. FOR MANY YEARS, IT WAS SAX PLAYERS, DRUMMERS AND GUITARISTS WHO WERE THE FOCAL POINT OF ADVANCES IN JAZZ AND OTHER CREATIVE MUSICS. IN RECENT TIMES, THERE IS A DELUGE OF TRUMPET PLAYERS WHO ARE DEFINING A NEW DAWN OF EXPRESSIVE DIVERSITY AND CREATIVITY. BESIDES LOCAL/INTERNATIONAL HEROES LIKE DAVE DOUGLAS, ROY CAMPBELL, RON HORTON, RALPH ALESSI & DAVE BALLOU, THERE ARE A FEW CATS WHO CONSISTENTLY PUSH THE ENVELOPE LIKE HERB ROBERTSON, PETER EVANS, THOMAS HEBERER (NOW LIVING HERE) AND THE RENAISSANCE MAN HIMSELF, NATE WOOLEY. CHECK OUT NATE'S RECENT RESUME FOR SOME EXTRAORDINARY COLLABORATIONS: PAUL LYTTON, STEVE SWELL, TATSUYA NAKATANI, MARY HALVORSON, BRUCE EISENBEIL, STEVE GAUCI, DANIEL LEVIN & AUDREY CHEN. WHOA!

FOR THIS FINE DISC, NATE CALLED UPON TWO OF CHICAGO'S FINEST IMPROVISERS, CELLIST, FRED LONBERG-HOLM AND BASSIST JASON ROEBKE, BOTH DIVERSE COLLABORATORS. THIS DISC FEATURES FIVE LONG PIECES. "TACONES ALTOS" SOUNDS LIKE AGITATED INSECTS AT PLAY, STRANGE YET VERY FOCUSED AND INTENSE. BOTH FRED AND JASON DO A FINE JOB OF MAKING ODD SOUNDS ON THEIR STRINGS, BOWING, PLUCKING, BENDING AND RARELY PLAYING IN ANY SORT OF CONVENTIONAL WAY. THIS MUSIC IS OFTEN CAREFUL AND CAUTIOUS, AS IF EACH SOUND IS SPECIAL AND WELL-SELECTED. AT TIMES, IT IS HARD TO TELL THAT NATE IS PLAYING TRUMPET SINCE HE IS PLAYING SOUNDS THAT ARE INDESCRIBABLE AND UNTRUMPETLIKE. WHAT AMAZES ME IS THAT THIS TRIO HAVE INVENTED THEIR OWN UNIQUE, ALIEN WORLD THAT IS CONSISTENTLY FASCINATING. IT DRAWS YOU INSIDE AND PAINTS NEW SCENERY FOR YOUR MIND'S EYE.

BRUCE LEE GALLANTER / DOWNTOWN MUSIC GALLERY