William Hooker: Convergence (Live In China ft. John King)
We are proud to announce Convergence: Live In China, a new live album from pioneering drummer and composer William Hooker, featuring guitarist John King, out May 15. Captured at the B10 Festival in Shenzhen, the recording documents a powerful, fully improvised collaboration between two singular voices in experimental music. The album’s opening track, “Red/Wavelengths,” is available to stream now.
Hooker, long recognized for his uncompromising approach to free jazz and creative music, meets King—known for his boundary-pushing work bridging composition, improvisation, and text-based systems—in a setting that emphasizes immediacy, intuition, and deep listening. The result is a dynamic, expansive performance that moves fluidly between intensity and restraint, structure and spontaneity. Hooker will bring this same spirit of improvisation to the stage this spring, including an appearance at the internationally acclaimed Big Ears Festival in Knoxville on March 26.
Throughout Convergence, Hooker and King engage in a continuous dialogue, building layered rhythmic and harmonic landscapes that evolve in real time. The recording captures the raw energy of the performance with clarity and depth, preserving the immediacy of the live setting.
The New York City Jazz Record says, “Hooker’s aesthetic and fearless, groundbreaking path is perfectly summed up in the title of his latest effort, Convergence… This live, recorded document deconstructs the blues, experimental rock, funk and improvisatory noise with sonically heavy abandon.”
The album stands as a document of cross-cultural exchange and creative freedom, reinforcing Hooker’s decades-long legacy as a leading force in avant-garde music while showcasing a compelling collaboration with King.
Convergence: Live In China will be available May 15 on vinyl, CD, and digital formats via Org Music. Preorders are available now.
Willam Hooker live dates:
March 18, 2026 — IBEAM, Brooklyn, NY
March 22, 2026 — Funkadelic Studios, New York, NY
March 26, 2026 — Big Ears Festival, Knoxville, TN
April 16, 2026 — Main Drag, Brooklyn, NY
May 7, 2026 — Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT
June 27, 2026 — Vision Festival, New York, NY
