Mitchell, Nicole & Joe Westerlund : Written In The Universe

Sometimes Nicole Mitchell and Joe Westerlund finish each other's sentences. That same telepathic connection animates Written in the Universe, an album born from years of performing together in Durham, North Carolina. Mitchell—an internationally acclaimed flutist, composer, and former chair of Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM)—and Westerlund, a percussionist whose work spans experimental rock, jazz, and electroacoustic improvisation, create music that feels simultaneously grounded and expansive: echo-drenched, electronics-forward improvisations anchored by Westerlund's deeply rooted polyrhythms.

Recorded over two days at Betty's, a rural studio nestled in the woods outside Chapel Hill, the album embraces the spontaneity of live performance. Rather than refining the recordings through overdubs or extensive editing, the duo preserved the intuitive energy of each take. The surrounding landscape—its forests, open air, and quiet sense of space—became an unspoken third collaborator, subtly shaping the music's organic flow.

The result is an album centered on discovery rather than destination. Throughout Written in the Universe, Mitchell's expressive flute and live electronics intertwine with Westerlund's inventive percussion to create music that unfolds in real time, inviting listeners into a shared act of listening where spontaneous composition becomes indistinguishable from intuition.