"Along with his potent tenor, Ware's rugged flute work is particularly noteworthy."
Milo Fine, Cadence, June 1993
"Despite the major muscles this quartet flexes, I still find my favotite track to be Saxelloscape One, a sassy, acidic virtuoso solo that's got to be the definitive statement on the instrument."
John Baxter, Option, March-April 1993
The 1980s saw the rise of new ways of structuring unnotated improvisation. Conductor Butch Morris spontaneously orchestrates the music of his players with an extensive and eloquent vocabulary of hand gestures. Anthony Braxton's compositions often contain detailed instructions to a performer, without prescribing actual pitches. John Zorn organizes elaborate game plans for improvisers. A few weeks after David S. Ware's Great Bliss project was recorded, at a performance by his bassist, William Parker's sextet, when one of the four horn players was soloing, the others would confer verbally and via hand-signals to concoct varied hacking figures. (Which is a modern version of the way Kansas City swing bands would set background riffs.) It's been a long time since improvised music – jazz – has been simply a matter of blowing on changes or pure... more
1. One Two Three 12:28
2. Emptiness 04:20
3. Primary Piece III 08:18
4. Saxelloscape Two 05:30
5. The Child Without - The Child Within 11:28
6. Strichland 12:36
7. Low Strata 06:10
8. Reign of Peace 11:10
David S. Ware flute, tenor sax, saxello, stritch
Matthew Shipp piano
William Parker bass
Marc Edwards drums, tympany, chimes, gongs
