Sometimes, the best way to write about free jazz seems to be through the sounds of words rather than words with meaning. You know, “Bwah bah bwaaah, bah, bwwwwaaaaahhhhh; blip bleep, honk? HONK! Bippity bippity, bow bow BOW!”
While that might seem silly, words seem unable to capture the spirit of free jazz or describe the music’s sound, especially when performed by a master like tenor saxophonist David S. Ware and his combo.
Using traditional music vocabulary makes discussing free jazz seem like an analysis of chamber music, or something stiffer and more decorous. Phrases like the “intricate interplay of instruments” and “long vibrato arpeggios and glissandos” do not properly convey the feelings expressed. On the other hand, phrases like “long improvisatory solos” and “extemporizes in tandem” overlook the formal, ceremonial elements of Ware’s work. He is a composer, and these are crafted compositions.
The songs on Shakti were written especially for this ensemble: Joe Morris on guitar, William Parker on bass, and Warren Smith on drums and percussion. The band members take extended solos and work together to create sublime, sprawling melodies whose lines cross at odd angles and in unexpected juxtapositions. The instrumentalists create with an insistent intensity as they journey to the singular aim of transcendence. The music feels imminent and immanent.
Yes, this is holy music, as the title suggests. Shakti is a Hindu term loosely defined as the divine, creative cosmic force that arises when a being is one with the entire universe. Ware and company play to connect with these inner visions in a way similar to how some people pray to find the god within themselves.
While only the band members can attest to their spiritual success, the music here artfully transports listeners to a higher plane. The musicians freely experiment, most notably on “Namah”. The title comes from one of the holiest prayers or mantras. On this cut, Ware sets down his saxophone to play kalimba, and Morris puts away his guitar to play drums. The result is oddly reminiscent of King Crimson’s fusion classic “Starless and Bible Black” with its quiet African sounds and dark, poetic overtones.
At eight minutes-plus, “Namah” is the shortest track, but it packs as powerful a punch as “Nataraj”, an 18-minute-plus exploration of dance that celebrates the idea of destroying one world to create a new one. The performers offer long solos here and offer personal meditations on their instruments. The results express their strong emotional desires for a better life, in the spiritual sense.
The “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” expressed in the music on this disc recall the words of the English poet William Wordsworth. Indeed, these songs work best when “The world is too much with us.” Our material existence can blind us to the stronger natural forces within and around us. Shakti operates as a call to remind people of their deeper essences.