The Seven Storey Mountain brings together experimental music icons Paul Lytton, David Grubbs, and Nate Wooley in a sonic journey translating Thomas Merton's ecstatic experience into sound. From initial uncertainty to final peace, the work traverses free jazz and contemporary noise, proving musical ecstasy knows no bounds. A masterpiece commissioned by the Festival of New Trumpet Music that redefines avant-garde trumpet possibilities.
The Seven Storey Mountain is a trans-generational group of highly recognized figures in modern music. Paul Lytton, for instance, has been playing drums with Evan Parker since 1969. David Grubbs is recognized for his work with Jim O'Rourke in Gastr Del Sol, Bastro, Squirrel Bait, and extensive solo work. Nate Wooley is one of the most exciting young trumpet players currently working, having collaborated with Taylor Ho Bynum, Peter Evans, Mary Halvorson, and many others. Wooley is a member of Blue Collar, Attach/Adorn/Decay, and the Nate Wooley Quartet. The Seven Storey Mountain is one of his finest compositions to date.
The Seven Storey Mountain attempts to represent the ecstatic experience as described by Thomas Merton in his book of the same name - from uncertainty to elation, through the "dark night of the soul" to ultimate peace and communion. While not religious, this ecstatic experience appears across disciplines, from the opening chords of Thus Spake Zarathustra to 60s free jazz and modern noise music.
"I wrote the piece to be performed by a rotating cast of musicians over tape. I was fortunate to premiere it with two extraordinary artists: Paul Lytton, a true improvisation legend who reshaped drumming, and David Grubbs, whose mastery of ambient composition allows total creative freedom.
Commissioned by New York's Festival of New Trumpet Music (2007) with support from the Greenwall Foundation, the work closed the festival at Abrons Art Center."
~ Nate Wooley, 2009
