David S. Ware - A World of Sound
February 1, 2025 7:02 AM   Subscribe

David S. Ware: A World of Sound - a short documentary about the free jazz saxophonist.

Gary Giddins:
[Ware's sound] derives from the classic, free, often vociferous tradition of Ben Webster as filtered through the 1960s trinity of Rollins, Coltrane, and Ayler, all of whose shadows can be traced—Rollins in Ware's capacious low register, Coltrane in his high overblowing, Ayler and Webster in the grit that coats his every note with a sandstone finish, all four in the euphoric tenacity he calls bliss. ...

Although his style combines high-energy free improvisation, brazenly distended ballads, and "godspellized" bliss pieces, Ware communicates easily and readily, his improvisations suggesting a nearly vocalized urgency intensified by a virtuoso attack.
The final US performance of his "classic" quartet with Matthew Shipp on piano, William Parker on bass, and Guillermo E. Brown on drums.
posted by Lemkin (4 comments total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
Have to confess that Ware has flown under my radar all these years. I've always had an admiration for the free jazz luminaries but without actually digging deep into their work.

That "final US performance" is a scorcher. People who might be wary: At least hang around for the first ten minutes or so while the band opens with a Pharaoh Sanders-inflected groove before going all the way out.
posted by at by at 4:21 PM on February 1 [1 favorite]


Also wanted to point out: The documentary is produced by the David Lynch Foundation: "In April 2009, David Lynch launched David Lynch Foundation Television (DLF.TV): The Online TV Channel, which celebrates, in David's words, "consciousness, creativity and bliss." DLF.TV showcases high quality video content from David Lynch Foundation programs and events, compelling profiles and documentaries, exclusive content from David himself, and explores all aspects of creativity."

The videos on the channel are a mixed bag and mostly focused around how various artists are using Transcendental Meditation in their work but there's some interesting stuff.
posted by at by at 4:27 PM on February 1 [1 favorite]


Thank you. Great little documentary on the great, great, great David S. Ware. (Check out his Freedom Suite album, an interpretation of the Sonny Rollins Freedom Suite). I also have to thank the gods of MeFi so many years ago for turning me on to David and many other great jazz artists from the Vision Festival in NYC. Not only did I discover great jazz, but because we could not afford a babysitter my two young sons were exposed to this amazing music and I believe it played no small part in them finding careers in music. My youngest was so taken with Joe Morris that he dragged us back for his show the following week. My son was something like 8 at the time. He ended up taking a lesson from Joe and composing his own jazz compositions. All this from some long forgotten post about free jazz in New York. I love your post. I love MeFi. If anyone is interested in this type of music I suggest exploring the AUM Fidelity catalog.
posted by caddis at 2:13 PM on February 2


Thanks for this.
posted by converge at 2:49 PM on February 2


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