David S. Ware

One of the most important avant-garde jazz saxophonists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, David S. Ware played with free jazz giants like Andrew Cyrille and Cecil Taylor early in his career. But it was with his own groups that he fully incorporated the spirit of the '60s free jazz movement while pushing its boundaries into the 2010s. With instantly recognizable tone and phrasing, Ware embraced jazz history, global folk music histories, and spiritual traditions. Following his leader debut with 1979's Hat Hut, he eventually landed at Columbia in the late '90s before finding a home with AUM Fidelity, where his playing style -- inspired primarily by his mentor Sonny Rollins and spiritual godfather Albert Ayler -- was cherished. AUM charted his development through his recording of Rollins' Freedom Suite (2002) and configurations including solo (2009's Saturnian), trios (Onecept, 2009), and quartets (Planetary Unknown, 2011).