Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » William Hooker: Channels of Consciousness

3

William Hooker: Channels of Consciousness

By

View read count
William Hooker: Channels of Consciousness
On the face of it the title couldn't be more apt, as drummer William Hooker leads his four accomplices through an organically unfurling invention fashioned from their collective streams of consciousness. But a closer listen betrays signs of premeditation, not least in trumpeter Chris DiMeglio's wistful reiterated motif which reappears at regular junctures during the continuous 68-minute performance. Other evidence comes from the presence of an overarching form, as intricate drum and percussion grooves bookend the piece captured live at Roulette in March 2010. That's not a surprise as experience suggests that Hooker marshals his resources to engender a strong sense of structure in whatever he does.

While the first few minutes of "The Unfolding" evince a purposeful intent, as Sanga's percussion thrives in the cracks between the leader's rumbling cadences, it doesn't take long before they are engulfed in a maelstrom of activity. DiMeglio's repeated phrases serve to ratchet up the tension, while guitarist Dave Ross' percussive scratchy lines add another layer of urgent complexity. Not until "Character" does the intensity let up, and some of the best moments ensue, as Ross breaks out a passage of wailing slide guitar, encouraged by Hooker's exhortations to "Talk to me." As with many of the drummer's works, the expression is not solely limited to music. In this instance the liners explain that the piece was inspired by American author Richard Wright's unfinished novel A Father's Law, and the subsequent recitation lands somewhere between poetry and plot summary.

Further light and shade follows in "Three Hexagons," as DiMeglio embarks upon a sequence of aching variations on the sparse thematic material, over a reflective timbral exchange. Bassist Adam Lane comes to the fore early in "Mother's History (untold)" belying a soliloquy of creaking arco atmospherics, before drum rolls signal a gradual ramping up of pressure as they move towards the explosive conclusion. While the passion and energy are unquestioned, some may find the stretches of unremitting power insufficiently differentiated, in which case Hooker's undoubted talents may be easier to appreciate in a more open setting, and in that regard Earth's Orbit (NoBusiness, 2010) by the drummer's Bliss Trio remains pre-eminent.

Track Listing

Personnel

Adam Lane:bass; Dave Ross: guitar; Chris DiMeglio: trumpet; Sanga: percussion; William Hooker: drums.

Album information

Title: Channels of Consciousness | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: NoBusiness Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

Near

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.