DAVID S. WARE QUARTET
Corridors & Parallels (AUM)
Reviewed by John Sekerka

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David S. Ware has the time honoured jazz patience to let his sidemen flex their chops before entering the foray. Corridors & Parallels unravels with slinky bass and percussion interplay, then Matthew Shipp shows off his funky synthesizer sound (who knew?), before Ware finally slips in (well into track two by now) to complete the quartet sound. And of course, the set up is worth it. Ware's tenor saxophone explorations work best in a group dynamic that builds solid building blocks, which the veteran improviser methodically disassembles. Structure, chaos, structure, chaos. The beauty is in the disquieting experience and Ware's growing composition skill. It's hard to get cozy with this record, which veers from wringing jazz to surprisingly funky moments (this could be Shipp's coming out party). The rewards only come with trying to keep up. Like Coltrane careening off the tracks, Ware makes the most of his derailments, and you are there.

© 2001 - John Sekerka