William Hooker: Black Mask
ART BEGETS ART
THE BLACK MASK WAS ORIGINALLY A CONCEPT PRESENTED AT THE KNITTING FACTORY - NEW YORK CITY / AN INTERNATIONAL VENUE - WHICH INCLUDED MUSICIANS I FEEL ARE IMPORTANT TO THE GROWTH OF MY MUSIC.
I HAVE PERFORMED WITH MANY - AND THIS IS AN INSPIRING EXHIBIT OF THOSE - THAT ARE EXCELLENT AND NOT SEEN IN THE "TOTAL LIGHT" OF MUSIC-ART- GROWTH - LIFE. THIS IS OUR TIME AND - WE TRAVEL TOGETHER-ACKNOWLEDGE THE CLARITY OF MY MESSAGE…
THE BLACK MASK / A COLD AND SCARY THING- WE ASK WHAT IS IT AND AS WE APPROACH - WE KNOW. IT IS MORE SCARY THAN WE THOUGHT.. AS ALWAYS - MY WORK AND EFFORTS GO ON WITHOUT A MASK.
IT IS 2002 - FOR ALL THAT KNOW / ALL THAT FEEL --FEELINGS…
WILLIAM HOOKER.
William Hooker, Christian Marclay and Lee Ranaldo
Read a Description
The Distance Between Us
The seamlessness of The Distance Between Us whole stems from these musicians who have played with William for a long time and who share in the musical embodiment of William Hooker's works: Lewis Barnes plays trumpet, Sabir Mateen and Charles Compo plays tenor sax, and Mark Hennon plays piano. With the additions of Brian Doherty on guitar and electronics, Dan Lilly, Ed Flynn, and Jesse Henry on guitar and bass, and of vocals provided by Gisburg, the fresh ensemble assumes a new breadth of sound and purpose. The personal styles of each of these performers adds to the album's perfect synchronicity in emotion and physical experience. You may recognize Hooker's jazz group in this ensemble, but with the additions of the guitarists and Gisburg, the core group takes on a whole new dimension.
| Read a Review | Order | Catalog #231 |
Shamballa
The fusion between Thurston Moore and William Hooker is connected like a process of nature. Noise, feedback and distortion inspire tireless drum onslaughts. The relationship is beautifully successful, listening-reacting. The drums are texture and voice and certainly transcend the idea of a mere back beat. Undulating waves relentlessly crashing onto the sand. The guitar work is the wind and air moving the waves. Elliot Sharp's attack is more cyber-mechanical, switches and vibrating wires. The guitar as electronic instrument, charged magnets. The duet builds a sense of technology, wild and with a precision that nature also maintains in the Moore duets.
| RealAudio sample | Order | Catalog #151 |
Envisioning
William Hooker, known for his kinetic improvisational drumming style coupled with Lee Ranaldo's experimental guitar history with Glenn Branca and Sonic Youth, together make a captivating, non-classifiable recording. This energized improv features spoken word from both thoughtful and emotionally moved artists. It's one of the more inspired and cathartic CDs you'll ever hear.
| RealAudio sample | Order | Catalog #159 |
The Gift of Tongues
This is three improvisers in their continuing mission to explore new noise, seek out new ways to make feedback, and go where no musicians have gone before. Lee Ranaldo is the guitarist of Sonic Youth. His experimental background goes back to his guitar symphony work with Glenn Branca and the early Sonic Youth recordings. Zeena Parkins and her custom electric harp have been adding otherworldly sounds to the recordings of John Zorn, Elliott Sharp's Carbon, No Safety, and her own bands for years.
| RealAudio sample | Order | Catalog #179 |
Mindfulness
Experimental turntable manipulator DJ Olive, whose work with Knitting Factory recording artists include Liminal and DJ Spooky, lends a broad and dynamic palette to William Hooker's percussive exclaimations in the cut and paste style of New York's "Illbient" scene. Illbient is a play on the term "ambient", a darker more restless take on the meditative music pioneered by Brian Eno. Illbient is a kind of aural collage which melds and juxtaposes radically different musics which takes the passivity of traditional ambient into new territory.
"Regarding Mindfulness" - A Written Journal
A Review by Thomas Stanley
| RealAudio sample | Order | Catalog #213 |
Complete Discography Listing of Recordings:
| The Celestial Answer |
William Hooker/Lee Ranaldo Table of Elements 2005 |
| The Gift |
William Hooker/Roy Campbell/Jason Hwang bmadish records 2005 |
| Oasis of Whispers |
William Hooker/Glen Hall/Lee Ranaldo alien8records 2005 |
| Text of Light |
William Hooker/Christian Marclay/DJ Olive/Alan Licht/Ulrich Krieger/Lee Ranaldo 2005 |
| Complexity #2 |
William Hooker Ensemble (Eyvind Kang/Doug Walker/DJ Olive) KOS Records 2004 |
| Monsoon |
William Hooker/Roger Miller/Lee Ranaldo Atavistic 2004 |
| Black Mask |
William Hooker Ensemble (Andrea Parkins/Roy Nathanson/Jason Hwang) Knitting Factory 2002 |
| Bouquet |
William Hooker w/Christian Marclay & Lee Ranaldo Knitting Factory 2001 |
| The Distance Between Us |
William Hooker Ensemble (Sabir Mateen/Mark Hennen/Gisburg/Lewis Barnes/Jesse Henry Knitting Factory 2000 |
| Eternal Breath: Gene of Triank (O) |
William Hooker Ensemble Last Visible Dog 2000 |
| Mindfulness |
William Hooker w/DJ Olive & Glenn Spearman Knitting Factory 1999 |
| Clouds |
William Hooker w/Lee Ranaldo, Jim O’Rourke & Gianni Gebbia Victo 1997 |
| Joy (within) |
William Hooker/Billy Bang Duo Silkheart 1997 |
| Great/Sunset | William Hooker Ensemble/Warm-O-Brisk Records 1996 |
| Tibet |
William Hooker Quartet Table of Elements 1996 |
| Heat of Light (Dream Sequences) |
William Hooker Quartet - Solo RGI 1996 |
| Gift of Tongues |
William Hooker w/ Lee Ranaldo & Zena Parkins Knitting Factory Works 1996 |
| Armageddon |
William Hooker Ensemble Homestead Records 1995 |
| Envisioning |
William Hooker - Lee Ranaldo Duo Knitting Factory Works 1995 |
| Radiation |
William Hooker Ensemble Homestead Records 1995 |
| Shamballa |
William Hooker w/ Thurston Moore & Elliot Sharp Knitting Factory Works 1994 |
| Lifeline |
William Hooker Quartet Silkheart Records 1994 |
| The Firmament/Fury |
William Hooker Ensemble Silkheart Records 1994 |
| The Color Circle |
William Hooker Orchestra Cadence Jazz |
| Subconscious |
William Hooker Sextet Ecstatic Peace Records |
| Brighter Lights |
William Hooker Duos Reality Unit Concepts |
| Is Eternal Life |
William Hooker (2 LP Set) Reality Unit Concepts |
| Live | The Gift |
| Duo | William Hooker/Lee Ranaldo |
| Oasis of Whispers | William Hooker/Glenn Hall/Lee Ranaldo |
AVAILABE ON AT DISCS (CASSETTE FORMAT ONLY)
THE LUNAR MOON SERIES:
1. WILLIAM HOOKER SEXTET
2. THE THREE LOGOS/LIVE AT TRINITY COLLEGE THE UNDERGROUND
3. WILLIAM HOOKER... SOLO
4. ROOT CHILD... CONCEPTUAL ALBUM
5. WILLIAM HOOKER DUO WITH JESSE HENRY, GTR.
6. HIS (I) / CONCEPTUAL....
FROM AT CASSETTES
GOA -------- THE RECORD FROM BUENOS AIRES ON NELSON RECORDS/ RECORDED AT PRINCE
STUDIOS, NY, NY
AND
"ETERNAL BREATH GENE OF TRIANK" A DOUBLE CD FROM LAST VISIBLE DOG
AND THE T SHIRT OFF MY BACK SERIES:
"DRUM POWER" WILLIAM HOOKER
BY WES KRETCH / SEE K.F. MERCHANDISING AND SELECTED RECORD STORES....
PEACE.
