Nate Wooley & Paul Lytton

This is the second duo recording of English free percussionist Paul Lytton and American trumpeter Nate Wooley, yet the two sound as if they've been improvising for decades. The dialogues that these two musicians present are unnaturally free from inhibition, and are nearly free from structure altogether. Lytton's vocabulary is quite expansive, and although he is considered the elder statesman of this pairing, he's on equal footing with Wooley and his trumpet. Creak Above 33 is an exercise in discovering the players' "mind maps," as Wooley explains in the liner notes. While Lytton is certain of his place in the musical spectrum, Wooley is less so. This is what makes this music unique: the players exist both within and without predefined templates. Creaks, sputters, shrieks, groans and metallic sounds are fair game here. The duo turn jazz, and music in general, on its ear.