The newest member of the Columbia Jazz roster is tenor saxophonist David S. Ware, who makes his label debut with the exhilarating and passionate Go See the World. Influenced by saxophone titans John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins, the 48-year-old Ware has previously recorded for such American independent record companies as AUM Fidelity and Homestead (the latter primarily known as an alternative rock label) as well as the Japanese imprint DIW and the European labels Silkheart and Hat Art. The All Music Guide to Jazz describes Ware as a powerhouse sax man whose "swirling solos with their overblowing, energized screams and intensity make him one of the few current players willing to display ties to the '60s free style." Ware was signed by Branford Marsalis, who says, "David is a pure musician and a great instrumentalist who's honed his craft to a high level. This guy is a wellspring of expression. I hear melody when he plays. That's the basis of his music. David is a great asset to Columbia Jazz and he will continue to develop and grow." Marsalis and Ware met three years ago in France. "Branford caught my show and he really dug what he heard," says Ware, who self-produced his CD which features his bandmates Matthew Shipp on piano, William Parker on bass and Susie Ibarra on drums. "He was sincerely moved by the music, which he hadn't heard before. He really flipped. Musicians worry that once they get a deal with a major label they'll have to water down their music. But Branford said don't change a thing, just keep playing like yourself. That's really the secret to any artist's success: being honest with yourself. I'm confident that will project itself." As for being signed by Sony, Ware says, "It's tremendous. It's part of my dream to be on Columbia because of the artists who recorded here before me. Hopefully it will help people look upon my music in a different light, to draw connections to the past and to see how it fits in the tradition. There's a misunderstanding about the kind of music we play, that there's no discipline, that anything goes. We're fighting to dispel those myths. We're like the Marines coming in to create a platform for the spirit of exploration and freedom in music."

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