David S. Ware - Shakti

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320Ks/
Time: 68:16
Size: 157,5 MB
Art: Front

( 9:43) 1. Crossing Samsara
(18:14) 2. Nataraj
(12:43) 3. Reflection
( 8:31) 4. Namah
( 9:30) 5. Antidromic
( 9:33) 6. Shakti : Durga, Devi, Kali

Shakti is the triumphant return of tenor saxophonist David S. Ware. His first studio recording since 2003's Threads (Thirsty Ear), this album marks the recorded debut of his first working group since he disbanded his famously prolific quartet of 1989-2006. An acknowledged master of the tenor saxophone, Ware's influence spans his seminal days in the seventies loft-era to the early Downtown scene, where his exuberant performances encouraged a new generation to investigate the expressive potential of free jazz. His 23rd release as a leader, Shakti reveals Ware's deepening interest in Eastern philosophy and religion, exemplified by the exotic kalimba introduction to "Namah." Other than a reworking of "Antidromic" from his first AUM Fidelity album, 1997's Wisdom of Uncertainty, this session consists of all new pieces. Conceived around folk-like themes and lyrical fragments, these expansive tunes showcase a darkly poetic side of Ware's strident expressionism. With a mixture of sublime restraint and impassioned yearning, Ware channels his renowned volcanic intensity, concentrating his ecstatic detours and excessive pyrotechnics into a more nuanced approach. Although his circuitous cadences still brim with unfettered altissimo cries, braying multiphonics and coruscating lower register drones, they are tempered by an architectural sensibility that provides incisive focus.

Joined by assiduous bassist William Parker, Ware finds accord in two new ensemble mates, iconic guitarist Joe Morris and legendary drummer Warren Smith. Morris is one of today's most innovative and distinctive guitar stylists, a singular artist with an unparalleled approach and technique. Smith's career dates back to his seminal loft-era collaborations with such visionary avant gardists as Sam Rivers and Muhal Richard Abrams. Morris's first recording session with Ware reveals him to be a brilliant front-line foil for the master saxophonist. Morris's spiky, percolating phrases and bright, round tone create a brilliant contrast to Ware's vociferous linearity and dark, burnished timbre. Ware's effusive commentary dominates the proceedings, but Morris's unique contributions, such as his meticulously metered motifs on "Nataraj" or his spitfire needling on "Antidromic," are equally impressive. While no contemporary rhythm pairing can compare to Parker's clairvoyant work with drummer Hamid Drake, Parker's conversational interplay with Smith yields a malleable pan-African sensibility perfectly attuned to Ware's aesthetic. Their pliant dialogue provides a fluid undercurrent of forward momentum that gracefully modulates tempos and meters. Their sensitive rapport on "Reflection" is supple, while "Nataraj" demonstrates their ability to maintain a hypnotic groove even in the throes of deep abstraction. Ware presents another aspect of his artistry here, one whose seeds were planted early on with the archival 1999 studio recording BalladWare (Thirsty Ear, 2006). A refreshingly lyrical and emotionally committed performance by masterful improvisers, Shakti ebbs with soulful intensity and inspired interplay, making this one of the most compelling, yet accessible, recordings of Ware's career.
~Troy Collins https://www.allaboutjazz.com/shakti-david-s-ware-aum-fidelity-review-by-troy-collins.php

Personnel: David S. Ware: tenor saxophone and kalimba (4); Joe Morris: guitar and percussion (4); William Parker: bass; Warren Smith: drums and percussion.

Shakti

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Joe Morris, Nate Wooley - Tooth And Nail

Styles: Guitar, Trumpet
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:17
Size: 125,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:16)  1. Metronorth
(8:22)  2. Gigantica
(4:35)  3. Steelhead
(5:22)  4. Noble Reasoning
(7:31)  5. Forrest Grove
(6:31)  6. Barberchaired
(8:04)  7. Hook In Cheek
(6:33)  8. A Terriffic Snag

That of duo is a fine and stimulating art but also risky and relentless. You can't cheat, you can't hide, you are "naked to the goal" and only marked sensitivity, open ears, communicative ability, true expressive urgency can lead to significant results. This is what happens in this Tooth and Nail where two innovators such as guitarist Joe Morris and trumpeter Nate Wooley give life to a meeting of considerable intensity by sharing their musical visions that go beyond the established rules of harmony, tonality and rhythm. But it is not on this ground that we must focus our attention rather on that of a profound research on the limits of the instruments and on the possibilities of the musician to exploit every innermost resource for communication purposes. Wooley radicalizes the evolution of the jazz trumpet by returning to the elements that constitute its basic approach, namely breath, lip position, use of the language, exasperating its functionality. Morris, on the other hand, works on the strings by plucking, gliding, hitting, using all the physical space allowed by the instrument and when something similar to the phrasing takes shape this has the essentiality of the single notes and the expressive force of an entire orchestra. "Whisper and shout" we could define Tooth and Nail, paraphrasing one of Ingmar Bergman's masterpieces. More whispers than screams because the recording atmosphere is intimate with the two musicians who reveal their emotions in a seemingly messy, irregular and nervous way. But once in tune with the particular sound universe created by Morris and Wooley, a fascinating and precious world opens up for the listener.~ AAJ Italy Staff https://www.allaboutjazz.com/tooth-and-nail-joe-morris-clean-feed-records-review-by-aaji-staff.php

Personnel:  Acoustic Guitar, Liner Notes – Joe Morris; Trumpet – Nate Wooley

Tooth And Nail

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Joe Morris, William Parker, Gerald Cleaver - Altitude

Styles: Guitar, Post Bop
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:27
Size: 166,0 MB
Art: Front

(26:22)  1. Exosphere
(25:22)  2. Thermosphere
(12:04)  3. Troposphere
( 8:39)  4. Mesosphere

Guitarist Joe Morris is on a roll. Hardly a month goes by without a new release featuring the Boston-based musician. Of course, he doubled his chances by adding acoustic bass to his armory alongside his six-stringed axe. It's the latter he wields on this trio date featuring bassist William Parker and drummer Gerald Cleaver, captured at New York City's Stone in June, 2011. Strangely, given their long acquaintance, this is the first time this particular combination has recorded, though each knows the others well from other collaborations. Cleaver and Parker form two-thirds of improvising collective Farmers By Nature, while Parker featured alongside Morris in the Eloping With The Sun (Aum Fidelity, 2003) triumvirate, and the guitarist and drummer both number among Jean Carla Rodea's Azares. What that familiarity ensures is that there is none of the "getting to know you" tentativeness that afflicts some first-time dates. All three leap straight in, spinning yarns. Inspired by the lengthy expositions of Coltrane and Cecil Taylor (although sounding nothing like either) the threesome maintains an urgent pace throughout the first extended piece (50-plus minutes, demarcated into the first two tracks, comprising the opening set in full). In a relatively straightforward execution, the adventure stems from the ceaseless search, as the trio obsessively wrings all the possibilities inherent from a single mood via a steadily blossoming stream of consciousness. As Morris says in the liners: "we kept it simple and let it unfold naturally, listening for the discovery of melody, always comfortable on that tremendous platform of rhythm." And that's how it sounds. While no one is likely to go away humming a refrain from this disc, a certain lower case lyricism permeates the atmosphere, especially the guitarist's genial single line rivulets and Parker's tonally sympathetic counterpoint. Their unity of purpose is such that even when the music opens out for a drum solo towards the end of "Exosphere," the dynamic doesn't change and the energy level barely dips. For the second set, excerpted here in the final two cuts, Parker switches from bass to sintir a Moroccan three-stringed lute. That decision engenders a different feel, with Parker's dusty grooves evoking Africa's vast open plains and timeless emotions. Cleaver avoids the obvious foot-tapping response, preferring instead a clattering pulse resembling fragments of several diverse tempos simultaneously. Subtle accents and changes of emphasis color the flow to maintain interest with Morris at his most assertive on "Mesosphere" pressing his points with a determined vigor. To sum up: three friends with nothing to prove bring home the bacon on a hot night in NYC. ~ John Sharpe https://www.allaboutjazz.com/altitude-joe-morris-aum-fidelity-review-by-john-sharpe.php

Personnel: Joe Morris: guitar; William Parker: bass, sintir; Gerald Cleaver: drums.

Altitude

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