Not so long ago, the trumpet seemed to have been falling from grace. And if it still plays second fiddle to the saxophone, as it has since Charlie Parker knocked the trumpet out of the first position in jazz bands, a number of players are pushing the instrument back to the fore.

Far from least among them is New York-based Nate Wooley, who has forged a number of exciting European collaborations in recent years, and on Throw Down Your Hammer and Sing is heard in a challenging and effective trio alongside two Chicagoans. Bassist Jason Roebke is the foundation of a number of Midwest ensembles, from quiet to loud. He's a solid presence here, almost serving as timekeeper, or as whip anyway when there's no steady pulse in this drummer-less ensemble. Between he and Wooley sits Fred Lonberg-Holm, duetting with both, his cello strings in a gradual round-robin with the bass, his electronic effects skewing the other direction toward the buzzes and drones of the trumpet. And when all three play together, they easily find themselves beyond numbers of players and set in shared projection. It comes together due to an innate sense of timing common among them, which gives the disc a strong undercurrent of intentionality. It's a curious title; hammers aren't heard clanging, singing not heard sung. There are no anthems or rallying cries. But what unfolds does so with purpose.