''Birth of a Being'' is the first recording as a leader by American jazz saxophonist

David S. Ware David Spencer Ware (November 7, 1949 – October 18, 2012) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. Biography Ware was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, and grew up in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. While in high school he at ...

, recorded in 1977 and originally released on the Swiss Hat Hut label. The record presents a collective trio called Apogee with pianist

Cooper-Moore Cooper-Moore (born Gene Y. Ashton; August 31, 1946) is an American jazz pianist, composer and instrument builder/designer based in New York City. Early life At age 12, Cooper-Moore was recruited by community leaders to be the piano player for ...

, then known as Gene Ashton, and drummer

Marc Edwards Marc or Mark Edwards may refer to: Marc Edwards * Marc Edwards (American football) (born 1974), American football player * Marc Edwards (professor) (born 1964), professor of civil and environmental engineering * Marc Edwards (drummer) (born 1949), ...

. It was reissued on CD by AUM Fidelity in 2015 with a bonus disc including five unreleased tracks from the same sessions.''Birth of a Being''
at AUM Fidelity

Background

Cooper-Moore first meet Ware at

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

in Boston in 1967. By Cooper-Moore's suggestion, they start Apogee with drummer Marc Edwards in 1970. Sonny Rollins invited the band to open for him at the Village Vanguard in 1973. This event accelerated their move to New York. Within a year of arrival, Ware began performing extensively with Andrew Cyrille’s group Maono, and, together with Marc Edwards, joined the

Cecil Taylor Cecil Percival Taylor (March 25, 1929April 5, 2018) was an American pianist and poet. Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach, resulting in complex ...

Unit. Numerous tours of the U.S. and Europe with these groups followed, during which time Ware developed the resolute desire to record his own music. In 1977, at Ware’s request, Apogee reconvened for one last time in order to document their work together in a studio setting.Reissue Liner Notes by Steven Joerg

Reception

In his review for '' JazzTimes'' Steve Greenlee states "This is pulse-quickening music that never lets up. Ware picks up where John Coltrane left off, employing his spiritual approach and taking his force majeure to the next level."Greenlee, Steve
''Birth of a Being'' review
at '' JazzTimes'' The Point of Departure review by Jason Bivins says about the reissue "This is intense music for sure, not exactly the Big Bang but still nourished by original energies. Packaged gorgeously, too; it’s an essential release."Bivins, Jason
''Birth of a Being'' review
at Point of Departure

Track listing

''All compositions by David S. Ware except as indicated'' # "Prayer" - 10:54 # "Thematic Womb" - 16:34 # "A Primary Piece #1" - 13:48 # "A Primary Piece #2" - 12:00 ;AUM Fidelity reissue CD 2 # "Prayer (alt. take)" - 12:07 # "Cry" - 14:06 # "Stop Time" - 17:05 # "Ashimba" (Cooper-Moore) - 2:30 # "Solo" - 6:56

Personnel

–

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

, ashimba *

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

References

{{Authority control 1979 albums David S. Ware albums Hathut Records albums