David Spencer Ware, born November 7, 1949 and died October 18, 2012. He was an American free-jazz saxophonist. Ware was born in Plainfield (New Jersey), grew up in Scotch Plains and graduated from Scotch Plains Fanwood High School. He was a student at the Berklee College of Music. After 14 years of working as a taxi driver in New York City, he moved to Scotch Plains. Abdul Hannah, an alto-saxophonist hailing from Boston, produced Ware’s 1971 debut record. In the late 1970s, he recorded with Marc Edwards, Cecil Taylor, drummer Andrew Cyrille and pianist Cecil Taylor. His well-known quartet was formed in the early 90s. The original quartet consisted of Ware, Matthew Shipp, William Parker, Marc Edwards, and bassist William Parker. Whit Dickey and Susie Ibarra occupied the drum chair later. Guillermo E. Brown was also a regular drummer. Edwards, who continues to perform regularly, formed his own jazz groups such as Marc Edwards Slipstream Travel. Although the quartet had a string of highly-reviewed albums, most were on small labels. In the late 1990s, Branford Marsalis signed Ware to a two-album deal with Columbia Records. Gary Giddins, a jazz critic, described Ware’s quartet in 2001 as “the best small group in jazz today.” After the release of Renunciation, Ware disbanded the quartet. Later, he recorded albums as a solo saxophonist and with various supporting bands. After receiving a kidney donation in response to nearly 1000 emails, Ware was able undergo a successful kidney transplantation at 60. Ware, 62, died at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
