Wooley’s “Moths” on Best Of List

Good evening,

Nate Wooley’s recently released album “Moths” was included by Peter Margasak on The Best Contemporary Classical Music on Bandcamp, February 2024 (link). Peter writes:

When trumpeter Nate Wooley composes pieces that organize improvisation into generous frameworks, he frequently turns to images and models from the natural world for ideas. He originally composed Moths as a solo work, where the performer chooses an initial gesture from the score and that takes light, so to speak, arranging the performance according to four “wing-tips,” each representing a different locus of change or development— harmonic motion, articulation, extension, and physicality. These shifts are achieved very slowly, metamorphosizing in plain sight, but too gradually for most of us to notice until it’s already happened. That pace causes us to put our focus on those changes rather than the grander design. This performance enlists the trio of pianist Eric Wubbels, clarinetist Madison Greenstone, and flutist Laura Cocks. Although each musician works alone, they can’t help but occasionally veer or smudge a sound to enhance some fleeting collective serendipity. At this molasses pace, it’s tough to trace the paths of all three voices at once. As a result, the music becomes kaleidoscopic, as our ears wander from tone to tone, changing perspective and focus. There’s a Zen-like serenity that’s countered by a timbre often spiked with sharp harmonics, sibilance, groans, and microtonal wobbles, and observing it play out feels like the most hypnotic suspense movie one could imagine.

Congratulations to Nate for his incredible piece, to Eric, Madison, and Laura for their stellar performances, and to Peter for including it in among so many other excellent albums.

Cheers!

Jordan