Rhythmic Tales: William Hooker & On Ka’a Davis
Saturday October 17 at Rhizome DC. Doors at 6:30, music at 7:00 Admission $20-$30, sliding scale. Advance Tickets.
William Hooker (drums, spoken word) and On Ka’a Davis (acoustic & electric guitars).
William Hooker returns to DC with his duo project with guitarist On Ka’a Davis: Rhythmic Tales. His latest album is Convergence: Live In China with guitarist David King.
“Recognized as an iconoclast, and one of the most innovative musicians and drummers of his generation, William knows no genre bounds and ceaselessly searches for new forms of music, always with the intent to inspire.” - THE WIRE
William Hooker has created works that range from jazz and "new" music to experimental genres. He has released over 80 CDs as a leader. Mr. Hooker has performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Atrium at Lincoln Center, Wadsworth Atheneum, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Walker Art Center,MTV, The Kitchen, Roulette, Real Art Ways. He has also presented his work at the JVC Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, Vancouver Jazz Festival, CMJ Music Festival, Vilnius Jazz Festival, Experimenta Argentina, The Knitting Factory and the Victoriaville Music Festival.
Hooker has received commissions and support from the New York State Council on the Arts, Meet the Composer and colleges and universities such as Oberlin, Fordham, Columbia, New York University, Boston University, Princeton, Dartmouth and many more. Accompanying musicians have included Billy Bang, David Ware, William Parker, Thurston Moore, David Soldier, Roy Campbell, DJ Spooky, Steven Bernstein, Zeena Parkins, Lee Ranaldo, Jason Hwang, Sabir Mateen, Elliot Sharpe, David Murray, Ted Daniel, JD Parren and many more.
https://www.williamhooker.com/
A long time resident artist and activist of New York's Lower East Side (LES), On Ka’a Davis has been a constant contributor to its edgy creative esthetic.
On performs principally as a guitarist, exploring music through the worlds of classical guitar, creative improvisation, 'jazzes', and is interpretive of roots-cultural models and 21st century thoro-composed models. On also performs on electric violin, keyboards, and sings.
On is also an 'academic' composer with contributions for works for solo classical guitar and for guitar with ensemble. On has also completed works for dance and film.
On's formal training was that as a concertise of the classical guitar. On became recognized as a frequent recitalist in his native Cleveland, Ohio throughout his teen-age years.While in High School, On also played with a popular rhythm and blues 'soul' band and jammed in 'garage' bands. But it was the continued training as a concertise with Christoph Harlan that culminated in studies at the Hochschule for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, with On arriving there at the age of 19. There, On studied as a protege of Luise Walker. Luise Walker was known along with Ida Presti as one of the "Les Grande Dames de la Guitarre" during her reign as one of the most important concert guitarist of her generation.
In New York, On studied in the open classes with Barry Harris but mostly was schooled in 'jazz' on the bandstand playing next to the countless music greats that came to rule here. Over the years, On has been involved in making music of nearly every genre.
On has worked with avant gardists, with rockers, jazzers, in the theatres and in the recording studio. Of especial note, On has played together with such artists as Sun Ra as a member of his Arkestra, Don Ayler in his septet, Charles 'Bobo' Shaw in his Human Arts Ensemble, Luther Thomas, Denis Charles, Khusenaton Shu Amon and Phillip Wilson. On's decades-long association with reedmen Daniel Carter and Sabir Mateen and with drummer Thom Corn began in the middle 90's when they collaborated with bassist Dan O'Brian to form the group 'The Future".
On had been the musical director of the ensemble 'Impossible Space Circus of Sun Ra', an effort that brings together Sun Ra Arkestra alumni members of which have included bassist Juini Booth, vocalist Al Jenkins and trombonist Dave Davis and trumpeter Cecil Brooks III. Other contributors have been Nick Gianni, Dalius Naujo, Avram Fefer, TomChess, Andre Lassalle, Monica H, Aaron Whitby, Graham Haynes, Paul Meurens, Welf Dorr, Jun Miyake, Richard Bennett, and Dave Treut.