Cryptology is an album by jazz saxophonist David S. Ware, recorded in 1994 and released by Homestead Records.
| Cryptology | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Recorded | December 2, 1994 | |||
| Studio | Sound on Sound, New York | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 61:36 | |||
| Label | Homestead | |||
| Producer | David S. Ware | |||
| David S. Ware chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editIn fall 1992, Steven Joerg took over as Homestead Records' manager. While he continued the label's indie-rock trajectory, Joerg adopted a radically different vision integrating free jazz on the same label where Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr and Big Black recorded seminal records.[1] Pianist Matthew Shipp, who had a duo record with bassist William Parker on a Texas punk-rock label which had a deal with Homestead's parent company, talked him into signing the David S. Ware Quartet.[2] According to Ware, Cryptology was "a meditation on Coltrane's example of using music as a vehicle for transcendence."[3]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz | [5] |
In his review for AllMusic, Thom Jurek says about the album "It is raw, unwavering, and intense almost beyond measure."[4] The Penguin Guide to Jazz states that "the long-form, linked improvisations on Cryptology is an impressive first draft."[5]
The album garnered a Lead Review slot in Rolling Stone by David Fricke, who says about the title piece "It's a sharp lesson for anyone who thinks free jazz is just a euphemism for no discipline".[6]
The Wire placed the album in their "50 Records Of The Year 1995" list.[7]
Track listing
edit- All compositions by David S. Ware
- "Solar Passage" – 6:42
- "Direction: Pleiades" – 9:04
- "Dinosauria" – 10:03
- "Cryptology / Theme Stream" – 14:19
- "Panoramic" – 10:45
- "The Liberator" – 10:44
Personnel
edit- David S. Ware – tenor sax
- Matthew Shipp – piano
- William Parker – bass
- Whit Dickey – drums
References
edit- ^ The oral history of AUM Fidelity at The Village Voice
- ^ In Praise of David S. Ware at The Village Voice
- ^ David S. Ware interview at Perfect Sound Forever
- ^ a b Jurek, Thom. David S. Ware – Cryptology: Review at AllMusic. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ a b Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2002). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (6th ed.). London: Penguin. p. 1516. ISBN 0-14-051521-6.
- ^ Rolling Stone review Archived 2014-03-05 at the Wayback Machine by David Fricke
- ^ 1995 Rewind at The Wire