David S. Ware
Encyclopedia
David Spencer Ware is an American jazz
saxophonist
.
Ware grew up in Scotch Plains, New Jersey
and graduated from Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School
. He attended the Berklee College of Music
and worked in New York City as a cab driver for 14 years, later returning to Scotch Plains to live. Suffering from kidney disease at the age of 60, ware was able to undergo a successful kidney transplantation
, after receiving a kidney donated in response to an email message sent out to nearly 1,000 of Ware's fans.
He has recorded with Andrew Cyrille
and Cecil Taylor
, and has led his own quartet since the early 1990s. Pianist
Matthew Shipp
and double bass
ist William Parker
have been in Ware's quartet steadily; drum
mers have changed: following Marc Edwards, Whit Dickey
, and Susie Ibarra
, Guillermo E. Brown
is now the drummer of the David S. Ware Quartet.
Ware first appeared on a privately-produced LP recorded in Boston in 1971 by Abdul Hannah, an alto saxophonist from Boston.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
.
Ware grew up in Scotch Plains, New Jersey
Scotch Plains, New Jersey
Scotch Plains is a township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the township population increased to a record high of 23,510.-History:...
and graduated from Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School
Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School
Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School is a comprehensive regional four-year public high school in Union County, New Jersey, which serves students in Grades 9 through 12 from the Township of Scotch Plains and the Borough of Fanwood, operating as part of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Regional School...
. He attended the Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
and worked in New York City as a cab driver for 14 years, later returning to Scotch Plains to live. Suffering from kidney disease at the age of 60, ware was able to undergo a successful kidney transplantation
Kidney transplantation
Kidney transplantation or renal transplantation is the organ transplant of a kidney into a patient with end-stage renal disease. Kidney transplantation is typically classified as deceased-donor or living-donor transplantation depending on the source of the donor organ...
, after receiving a kidney donated in response to an email message sent out to nearly 1,000 of Ware's fans.
He has recorded with Andrew Cyrille
Andrew Cyrille
Andrew Charles Cyrille is an avant-garde jazz drummer.Cyrille was born in Brooklyn, New York into a family with a mother from Haiti. He began studying science at St...
and Cecil Taylor
Cecil Taylor
Cecil Percival Taylor is an American pianist and poet. Classically trained, Taylor is generally acknowledged as one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an extremely energetic, physical approach, producing complex improvised sounds, frequently involving tone clusters and...
, and has led his own quartet since the early 1990s. Pianist
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
Matthew Shipp
Matthew Shipp
Matthew Shipp is an American pianist, composer and bandleader.Shipp was raised in Wilmington, Delaware, and began playing piano at six years old. His mother was a friend of trumpeter Clifford Brown....
and double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
ist William Parker
William Parker (musician)
William Parker is an American free jazz double bassist, poet and composer.-Biography:Parker was not formally trained as a classical player, though he did study with Jimmy Garrison, Richard Davis, and Wilbur Ware and learned the tradition. Parker is one of few jazz bassists who regularly plays arco...
have been in Ware's quartet steadily; drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
mers have changed: following Marc Edwards, Whit Dickey
Whit Dickey
Whit Dickey is a free jazz drummer. He has recorded albums as a bandleader, or with David S. Ware, Matthew Shipp and others.- Notes :...
, and Susie Ibarra
Susie Ibarra
Susie Ibarra is a Contemporary Composer and Percussionist who has worked and recorded with jazz, classical, world, and Indigenous musicians. She is known for her work as a performer in avant-garde, jazz, world and new music...
, Guillermo E. Brown
Guillermo E. Brown
Guillermo E. Brown is a free jazz drummer who has performed or recorded with Matthew Shipp, David S. Ware, George Lewis and others. In 2008 his work "Electro Prayer 5.0" was included on the compilation album Crosstalk: American Speech Music produced by Mendi & Keith Obadike.- References :...
is now the drummer of the David S. Ware Quartet.
Ware first appeared on a privately-produced LP recorded in Boston in 1971 by Abdul Hannah, an alto saxophonist from Boston.
As leader
- Third World Awareness (Abdul Hannah, 1971)
- Passage to Music (Silkheart, 1988)
- Great Bliss, vol. 1 (Silkheart, 1990)
- Great Bliss, vol. 2 (Silkheart, 1990)
- Flight of I (DIW, 1991)
- Third Ear Recitation (DIW, 1993)
- Earthquation (DIW, 1994)
- Cryptology (Homestead, 1994)
- Oblations and Blessings (Silkheart, 1995)
- Dao (Homestead, 1995)
- Godspelized (DIW, 1996)
- Wisdom of Uncertainty (AUM FidelityAum fidelityAUM Fidelity is a New York City-based independent record label primarily devoted to avant-garde jazz artists such as William Parker, Matthew Shipp, and David S. Ware. It has also released recordings by improvisational rock band Shrimp Boat, and exclusively distributes the CaseQuarter and Riti labels...
, 1996) - Live in the Netherlands (Splasc(H), 1997)
- Go See the World (ColumbiaColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, 1997) - Surrendered (Columbia, 1999)
- Corridors & Parallels (AUM Fidelity, 2001)
- Freedom Suite (AUM Fidelity, 2002)
- The David S Ware Quartet Live in the World (Thirsty EarThirsty EarThirsty Ear Recordings is an American independent record label. It was founded in the late 70s as a marketing company and expanded to issue its own records in 1990....
, 1998/2003) - Threads (CD Thirsty Ear, 2003)
- BalladWare (CD Thirsty Ear, 2005)
- Renunciation (AUM Fidelity, 2007)
- Shakti (Aum Fidelity, 2008) with Joe Morris g, William Parker b, Warren Smith dr
- David S Ware Quartet Live in Vilnius (2 LP, NO BUSINESS 2008)
- Saturnian (solo saxophones volume 1) (Aum Fidelity, 2009)
- Onecept (Aum Fidelity, 2010) with William Parker b, Warren Smith dr
As sideman
With Andrew CyrilleAndrew Cyrille
Andrew Charles Cyrille is an avant-garde jazz drummer.Cyrille was born in Brooklyn, New York into a family with a mother from Haiti. He began studying science at St...
- Metamusicians' StompMetamusicians' StompMetamusicians' Stomp is an album by American jazz drummer Andrew Cyrille recorded in 1978 for the Italian Black Saint label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4 stars stating "This intriguing set gives listeners an early glimpse of the great avant-garde tenor...
(Black Saint, 1978) - Special PeopleSpecial People (album)Special People is an album by American jazz drummer Andrew Cyrille recorded in 1980 for the Italian Soul Note label.-Reception:The Allmusic review awarded the album 3 stars.-Track listing:# "A Girl Named Rainbow" - 10:10# "High Priest" - 7:48...
(Soul Note, 1980)