William Hooker
"Aria"


Available through
 iTunes
Spotify
Release date: 2017

AKA - The Italian Project

Featuring:
Dave Soldier, On Davis, Mark Hennen, Richard Keene, Welf Dorr, Louie Belogenis






Tracks:
1 Impro I
2 Selfcommunion
3 Clown
4 Fuliculi Fulicula
5 Impro II
6 Santa Lucia
7 Epilogue
8 Impro III
9 Clown [Alternate]


"ARIA is an effort to interpret Italian melodies through the lense of improvisation with my instrument (drums) and New York improvisers.

I listened to the pieces and delved into them.  I believe this is a significant addition to my musical journey.  I hope you will listen and enjoy this work."  William Hooker

 

Stereogum:

 

Drummer William Hooker is a human avalanche of a player who’s been around since the New York loft jazz scene of the early 1970s, and who’s collaborated with figures from across the musical spectrum. David S. Ware and David Murray were guests on his early albums, and in the 1990s he recorded and performed (separately) with Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth. His latest album is an ambitious project that features Welf Dorr, Richard Keene, and Louie Belogenis on reeds, Mark Hennen on piano, On Davis on guitar, and David Soldier (of the Soldier String Quartet) on violin and guitar. The music combines segments of wild, theatrical improvisation with compositions that draw upon Italian folk music (Hooker’s wife is Italian) but take it into unexpected and wholly new realms. In addition to drumming, Hooker declaims poetry. This isn’t jazz, exactly; it’s an entirely unique blend of art song, modern composition, and improvised awesomeness.