New Ramblings (with video)

Just in case you're still curious to read my thoughts on music:

http://ramblingaboutmusic.tumblr.com/

David S. Ware and stockpiling albums

Today at work, I listened to Ware's version of "Freedom Suite" by Sonny Rollins.

I had listened to the two preceding discs of Live in the World, a retrospective of several iterations of his working quartet, and had found some of it too ecstatic. Each song seemed to crescendo and plateau about a minute into the track without much variation in volume, save for some bass solos.

This time, I appreciated Ware's tone and his ability to move through the entire range of his tenor, avoiding the temptation to bite down on the reed and wail away like many free players (some of whom I like immensely) sometimes do. Part of this change could come from the Sonny Rollins connection and part of it probably comes from my having started to play tenor again myself.

Each time I return to an instrument, I want to hear more of it both live and recorded. Often this leads me to want to acquire as many of a particular musician's albums as I can. It's much easier than going back to albums I have and listening more closely or with a different perspective or set of interests.

Thankfully, this exchange also works the other way around. When I see a great performance, I want to play and practice more. Same goes for a great album.