Columbia Icefield - A Silence Opens CD
SKU
OOYH 045
Nate Wooley – trumpet and amplifier, feet, whistling, voice
Susan Alcorn – pedal steel guitar
Ava Mendoza – guitar and voice
Ryan Sawyer – drums, shakers, and voice
Nate Wooley, Ryan Sawyer, Ava Mendoza, Mary Halvorson, Ingrid Laubrock, Wendy Eisenberg, gabby fluke-mogul, Laura Ortman, Patrick Holmes – choir
“A Silence Opens was initially recorded as a response to the death of trumpeter and composer Ron Miles. Ron saved my life as a young man, and his friendship and his inspiration as a musician continue to guide me. When I succeed, I can see him smiling; when I fail or am cruel, I know he wants me to do better. When he died suddenly in 2019, I openly wept on the Q train and was a zombie for months. Unexpectedly, I had lost an older brother I didn’t realize I had and a friend I’d never told how much I loved. The small tear of loss grew quickly and took forever to heal into its heaviness. The four main tunes on this disc are based on his compositions or on licks and folk music I heard him play often during the years I was lucky enough to hear him live.
This is most likely the last Columbia Icefield record, and that is a loss, too. Over the last decade, the sound of this band has occupied my mind. Susan, Ryan, Ava, Mary Halvorson, and I have hammered out a music that I think is unique in its arc, its ambience, and its power. We’ve argued and huffed, hugged and laughed. We traveled to other continents and shot the shit in each other’s homes. This was a small family, and I think the music we made as a family was good and meaningful to me, and possibly to some other people. I mourn that loss as well.”–Nate Wooley