The Squid's Ear Magazine


Williams, Mars / Hamid Drake: I Know You Are But What Am I? (Corbett vs. Dempsey)

The second of three archival albums from late saxophonist Mars Williams' vaults, this 1996 recording is a rare duet with Chicago drummer Hamid Drake, and is also one of the first concerts of the Empty Bottle Jazz and Improvised Music series, a diverse set of four improvisations marked by energetic enthusiasm, doubling of reeds, and wild playing from both.
 

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Mars Williams-reeds

Hamid Drake-drums


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Label: Corbett vs. Dempsey
Catalog ID: CvsDCD105
Squidco Product Code: 34437

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2024
Country: USA
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded live at The Empty Bottle, in Chicago, Illinois, on December 11th, 1996, By Malachi Ritscher.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"One of three CDs on Chicago's Corbett vs. Dempsey label from the archives of Mars Williams. These previously unreleased recordings document diverse parts of Williams' wildly eclectic oeuvre.

Several months before his untimely death, multi-instrumentalist Mars Williams (1955-2023) reached out to CvsD and asked if we would issue three very special live recordings from his vaults. These include a 1996 concert in Utrecht, Holland, by the NRG Ensemble, the band that Williams inherited from Hal Russell when the latter died in 1992. In NRG circles, this recording is widely regarded as a pinnacle achievement. The band was playing original material by Williams and Ken Vandermark, and they were in top shape, carrying on the wildly inventive, slyly subversive mix of musical directions that Russell had initiated when he formed the band back in 1979.

Another recording comes from 1996, this one a rare duet with drummer Hamid Drake, made in one of the first concerts of the Empty Bottle Jazz and Improvised Music series, in Chicago. Drake and Williams had deep parallels in their personal histories, coming up at the same time in similar musical spheres, rising on the Chicago scene simultaneously in the late '70s while maintaining busy international calendars, touring extensively with different projects including some outside of the realm of improvised music.

The final CD comes from an exceptionally singular night in 2012 at Chicago's Elastic Arts Foundation, a trio formation with bassist Darin Gray and drummer Chris Corsano. Williams felt strongly enough about this concert that he had already posted one set on Bandcamp, but he held back the other set for this incredible posthumous series of archival releases.

With these beautiful records, released in limited edition, CvsD celebrates the productive life of one of improvised music's great figures, someone that John Zorn once wrote had "succeeded in redefining what versatility means to the modern saxophone player." Mars was that and much more. We miss him dearly. These CDs will help keep him in our thoughts and in our ears."-Corbett Vs. Dempsey



This album has been reviewed on our magazine:

The Squid
The Squid's Ear!

Artist Biographies

"Mars Williams is an open-minded musician, composer and educator who commutes easily between free jazz, funk, hip-hop and rock, Mars has played and recorded with The Psychedelic Furs, Billy Idol, Massacre, Fred Frith, Bill Laswell, Ministry, Power Station, Die Warzau, The Waitresses, Kiki Dee, Pete Cosey, Billy Squier, DJ Logic, Wayne Kramer, John Scoffield, Charlie Hunter, Kurt Elling, Swollen Monkeys, Mike Clark, Jerry Garcia, Naked Raygun, Friendly Fires, The Untouchables, Blow Monkeys and virtually every leading figure of Chicago's and New York City's "downtown" scene.

John Zorn credits Mars as "one of the true saxophone players--someone who takes pleasure in the sheer act of blowing the horn. This tremendous enthusiasm is an essential part of his sound, and it comes through each note every time he plays. Whatever the situation, Mars plays exciting music. In many ways he has succeeded in redefining what versatility means to the modern saxophone player."

In 2001 Mars received a Grammy Nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Record with his group Liquid Soul.

Despite his busy touring schedule with Liquid Soul and The Psychedelic Furs, Mars manages to stay active on the Chicago underground improvising scene. In recent years he has toured and recorded with the Peter Brötzmann Tentet, Switchback, Full Blast, Scorch Trio, the Vandermark 5, Boneshaker, Chicago Reed Quartet and Cinghiale, teaming him with such musicians as Ken Vandermark, Hamid Drake, Michael Zerang, William Parker, Ikue Mori, Kent Kessler, Fredric Lonberg Holm, Peter Brotzmann, Joe McPhee, Paal Nilssen-Love, Ab Baars, Mike Reed, Jeb Bishop, Harrison Bankhead, Dave Rempis, Kidd Jordan and Matts Gustafson.

He performs weekly in Chicago along with Jim Baker, Steve Hunt, and Brian Sandstrom in the improvising quartet "Extraordinary Popular Delusions". As a bandleader, he continues to perform and record CDs with his own free-jazz groups, the NRG Ensemble, Witches & Devils, Slam, XmarsX, Mars Trio, Boneshaker and The Soul Sonic Sirkus which features improvising musicians and aerial circus performers. Along with Die Warsau's Van Christie, Mars has started Ratking Music, a production company focusing on music for film and television.

In addition to performing and creating music, Mars has been an educator in the field of woodwinds and jazz improvisation for over thirty years. Mars held the position of Woodwind Instructor at Bard College for two years. In the last few years Mars has presented Master classes and clinics to a number of private and public institutions including, the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, the University of Chicago, Roosevelt University (Chicago, IL), and June Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art (Auburn, AL)."

-Mars Williams Website (http://www.marswilliams.com/about/)
11/4/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Hamid Drake (born August 3, 1955) is an American jazz drummer and percussionist. He lives in Chicago, IL but spends a great deal of time touring worldwide. By the close of the 1990s, Hamid Drake was widely regarded as one of the best percussionists in jazz and avant improvised music. Incorporating Afro-Cuban, Indian, and African percussion instruments and influence, in addition to using the standard trap set, Drake has collaborated extensively with top free-jazz improvisers. Drake also has performed world music; by the late 70s, he was a member of Foday Musa Suso's Mandingo Griot Society and has played reggae throughout his career.

Drake has worked with trumpeter Don Cherry, pianist Herbie Hancock, saxophonists Pharoah Sanders, Fred Anderson, Archie Shepp and David Murray and bassists Reggie Workman and William Parker (in a large number of lineups)

He studied drums extensively, including eastern and Caribbean styles. He frequently plays without sticks; using his hands to develop subtle commanding undertones. His tabla playing is notable for his subtlety and flair. Drake's questing nature and his interest in Caribbean percussion led to a deep involvement with reggae."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamid_Drake)
11/4/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. The Worm (10:20)

2. I Know (8:01)

3. You Are (13:20)

4. But What Am I? (12:17)

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
Chicago Jazz & Improvisation
Duo Recordings
Recordings by or featuring Reed & Wind Players
Percussion & Drums
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Recent Releases and Best Sellers

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Corbett vs. Dempsey.


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