We Stand

CUR002 - first release in the Metal and Wood series

Hunter Diamond // saxophone, clarinet, percussion, voice.

 Charles Rumback // drums

Released October 3rd, 2021

An affirmation as much as an exploration: as improvisors with strong sensitivity to melodicism, Diamond and Rumback individually and collectively explore the lyrical sensibilities of their instruments - whether scathing or supple.

Mountain-top proclamations with barraged hail pellets give way to salves of fog-laden mantric lullabies.

Miró-like shapes of narrative move in and around the focal point allowing tumults of action to settle in around your feet.

Anthemic incantations live atop bell beds, invoking images of initiation rites and trials.

Free-bop takes another step away from meter and toward unbeholden pulses, ranging from the path-clearing force of a mudslide to the disorienting sway of a hammock.

The Metal and Wood project is a series of live improvisations between woodwind artist Hunter Diamond and various drummers living in the United States. Captured in different locations in Chicago and New Orleans, these recordings document Diamond’s ongoing interest in the saxophone-drums duo pairing made historic by legendary collaborations between John Coltrane & Rashied Ali, Archie Shepp & Max Roach, Dewey Redman & Ed Blackwell, Charles Lloyd & Billy Higgins, Joe McPhee & Hamid Drake, and many others.

Available through Curio Records (CD), and Bandcamp (CD/Digital)