William Hooker/David Ware/Alan Braufman

A rough diamond souvenir from the last gasp of so-called Ecstatic Jazz visibility, Time Within is a 1977 concert featuring drummer William Hooker and saxophonists David S Ware and Alan Braufman. Already disparaged in the US, Free Jazz’s minimal acceptance was soon to be buried by the heavily promoted Young Lions movement. Yet the unfiltered expression produced by the improvisers here show how they could return to greater visibility in the freer 21^st century climate.

Ware (1949-2012), was finally acclaimed for his quartets with Matthew Shipp and William Parker. Hooker, now 79, kept busy with a multiple of underground projects that were often as wedded to avant-Rock as improv; while Braufman, now 74, spent time with pop music before  reconnecting with the likes of Cooper-Moore this century.
Reflecting the times the set is somewhat fuzzily recorded and not for the faint hearted. Lacking a chordal instrument for contrast, the trio members hardly let up as they smash and rattle drum parts and shatter cymbal textures (Hooker) or overblow timbres, scream multiphonics and relentlessly project irregular vibrations (Ware and Braufman) during the concert’s eight movements. Vocalized yells also aggressively urge one another to more intensity.

Dynamics may be an understatement when it comes to the performance for the tenor saxophonist never misses a chance to growl and screech in what would become his expected reed function, while Braufman’s snarls and thin elevated tone not only complements the larger horn’s variations, but occasionally use obbligatos to add a touch of lyricism.

Not that melody upfront most of the time. Among the unison smears and round-robin reed extensions , the tenor saxist ranges between Trane-like magisterial scoops to Pharaoh Sanders-like corkscrew cries and flattement, while the alto saxophonist contributes his share of split tones and smears. Both often attain dog-whistle-like screeches. Hooker never seems to stop playing, with pounding ruffs, plump rebounds and relentless press rolls. Cymbal accents color many of the saxophonists more tense and stratospheric split tones.

Overall careful listening reveals logic in the logorrhea with the unison reed theme that introduced the concert, reappearing in a more unbridled form at the finale. Time Within is a valuable aural snapshot of a certain time and place in New York. It also confirms that against all odds, many contemporary musicians were fighting to preserve intense free expression despite changing fashions.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. Movement 1 2. Movement 2 3. Movement 3 4. Movement 4 5. Movement 5 6. Movement 6 7. Movement 7 8. Movement 8

Personnel: Alan Braufman (alto saxophone); David S. Ware (tenor saxophone) and William Hooker (drums)