Saxophonist David S. Ware, a veteran of the loft jazz scene who finally broke through in the ’90s, had a sound that seemed like it could blow trees down. When he signed with Sony, he didn’t rein himself in a bit; instead, he released this monolithic album featuring pianist Matthew Shipp, bassist William Parker, and drummer Susie Ibarra. Compositions like “Lexicon,” “Estheticmetric,” and “Rapturelodic” begin with mantralike melodies, then explode; meanwhile, his version of “The Way We Were” (yes, the Barbra Streisand song) is a 15-minute firestorm.

– Phil Freeman