I first heard tenor saxophonist David S. Ware in 1988, when he released the trio album Passage to Music (Silkheart), whose scalding free jazz arrived like a bolt from the blue—simultaneously a throwback to the golden age of the 1960s “new thing” and a thoroughly contemporary, no-holds-barred manifestation of sonic seeking. I became a huge fan, and followed Ware as he turned the trio into a quartet with the addition of Matthew Shipp and moved from the great Japanese label DIW to Columbia Records in the late 90s (thanks to the advocacy of fan Branford Marsalis). Ware’s intense, highly personal music failed to reach a large audience, and after his relationship with Columbia ended, he spent the rest of his career working with Steven Joerg—first at Homestead and then at Aum Fidelity.
Today’s playlist:
