David S. Ware & Planetary Unknown

Together, David S. Ware and Planetary Unknown (his quartet of free-jazz elder statesmen) have over 150 years of experience in the jazz universe. Ware, Cooper-Moore, William Parker and Muhammad Ali have each participated in seminal moments in the history of improvised music. The circumstances that contributed to the formation of this ensemble in 2010 may be equivalent to a second "big bang" for some jazz aficionados. This release documents the European debut of the group and presents them in top form. There is an unflagging energy captured across the three lengthy pieces. Such exuberance, combined with each player's outright mastery of the sonic forces at play within their various instruments, is why Planetary Unknown can be truly called a super-group. Ware's horn playing stands out, yet the others don't retreat when he's belting out clouds of sound ― there are numerous instances of clever interplay. Each musician shines on this release.