William Hooker leads a trio on Thursday at Twins Jazz. Jazz is no different from any other musical genre—despite what the Post argues, or counter-argues, or counter-counter-argues—in that the number of labels we give to it seems ever increasing. Just as the terms “rock” and “pop” are insufficient for the breadth of music covered within them, so too is the case for jazz. This deficiency extends to even sub-genres. In the case of avant-garde jazz, that moniker could apply to every thing from the klezmer-influenced sounds of John Zorn to the cosmological music of Sun Ra. The connecting thread through all of this underground scene is the abandonment of traditional song structures and forms.
As with any other style of music, New York has always had a vital avant-garde community and drummer William Hooker has been one of its important voices for over 30 years. His work covers the entire range of exploratory sounds described above, and can be heard on over 60 recordings he has released as a bandleader, as well as live in the world’s most prestigious venues.
“My approach to drumming was developed out of playing every kind on music there is, all arising out of my knowledge of the roots of my heritage and its musical contribution” Hooker recently told DCist.
Hooker chose two local musicians to accompany him tomorrow night for his performance at Twins Jazz, which is the first on a tour that will take him from D.C. through the Midwest. Bassist Luke Stewart is seen regularly around town with his own group, Trio OOO, and he is also the avant-garde music editor for CapitalBop. Anthony Pirog is known as a sonic alchemist on the guitar and can be heard in a number of settings, leading his own groups and through his work with the cello/guitar duo, Janel & Anthony. In addition to playing drums, Hooker will also be contributing spoken word elements to the set.
“Luke is going on my Midwest Tour, which begins at Twins. Anthony played as part of a performance I did at Bohemian Caverns,” Hooker said of his bandmates. “I enjoy their playing.”
Hooker began his career playing gigs as a teenager, while still in high school. He went to college to study political science, sociology, and history, but also continued to play music. Hooker also studied 20th century composers and electronic music while in school. After college, he joined an organ trio that played four or five nights a week and this was where he really honed his chops, learned the roots of modern jazz and became exposed to life as a professional musicians. All of these experiences inform his music to this day, and color his approach to drumming and directing bandmates.
“I have directed my musicians to be aware of the sectional nature of my performances,” Hooker explained. “I prefer to guide the music from the percussion seat, ever aware of the nature of improvisation and the sonorities of the individual instruments.”
There is no doubt that free music can be a challenging listening experience, especially to those who are new to this approach. Still, Hooker believes that there are many paths to the proper mindset and that the biggest obstacle is apathy. For the more inquisitive audience members, there is a shape to the music, even though it is unstructured. This shape comes from the close interaction among the players on stage and the colors they draw from their instruments.
“I hope my listeners go away inspired. That is my goal,” Hooker said. “I believe challenges are very erstwhile and are not the platform for the type of growth in this music that I feel is my own evolution.”
The William Hooker Trio performs 8 and 10 p.m. sets at Twins Jazz on Thursday, August 14. Tickets $10 plus minimum and surcharge.
