Working on the periphery of the jazz world since 1974, drummer, composer, and poet William Hooker is a pillar of the avant-jazz and free improvisation scenes. He made his leader debut with 1975's ...Is Eternal Life. Usually recording live, he issued 1993's Shamballa, a collection of duets with Thurston Moore and Elliott Sharp. 1995's The Gift of Tongues featured Lee Ranaldo and Zeena Parkins. 2004's The Gift: Live at Sangha featured Roy Campbell and Jason Hwang, and in 2019, Hooker, with Detroit bassist/electronicist Joel Peterson and trumpeter/electronicist Mark Kirschenmann released Cycle of Restoration. 2021's Big Moon showcased the drummer leading a nonet, while 2022's LeWitt Etudes was in collaboration with Dave Soldier and a septet. In 2023, Hooker released Flesh and Bones, accompanied by a sextet that included bassist Hilliard Greene, violinist Charlie Burnham, and saxophonist Ras Moshe.