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William Parker Quartet
William Parker Quartet: Sound Unity
by John Kelman
One aspect of being a bandleader these days is that you simply have to diversify. With road trips longer than two or three weeks now the exception rather than the rule, you need a variety of delineated projects to remain viable. And with the proliferation of independent record labels that, unlike the majors, don't demand exclusivity, you've got to be ready to record, release, and promote these projects at every opportunity.
So when bassist William Parker took the quartet that ...
read moreWilliam Parker Quartet: Sound Unity
by AAJ Staff
William Parker wears many hats: bassist, shaman, communicator, composer, poet, activist, bandleader, and more. (He's also been known to sport any number of colors and fabrics on his dome, but that's a story for another day.)
But the one thing he does best, and which has affected me most, is teach. In listening to his music, I've come to understand many things, some of which can't be easily put into words. They go way beyond any kind of ...
read moreWilliam Parker Quartet: O'Neal's Porch
by AAJ Staff
One of William Parker's best talents is bringing otherworldly jazz down to earth. On this recording, aptly titled after his uncle O'Neal from South Carolina, Parker offers a collection of original tunes that stretch from the abstraction of pure energy to the dirtiness of down-home funk.
The anchor--or the root, to use a more vital analogy--of this group lies in the hands of Parker and drummer Hamid Drake. These two players have a unique cohesion and shared intuition ...
read moreWilliam Parker Quartet & In Order To Survive Double-Album To Be Released June 23 On AUM Fidelity
Source:
Steven Joerg
Meditation / Resurrection is a double-album presenting a bounty of beautiful new William Parker compositions performed by two of his flagship ensembles, the Quartet-&- In Order To Survive. It was recorded & mixed live during a one-day studio session in late 2016. This is Parker & the groups’ followup release to 2013’s epic Wood Flute Songs box set. At the core of both groups is Parker’s foundational bass together with rhythm twin, the incomparable Hamid Drake. Their partnership–two decades deep ...
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New William Parker Quartet CD Released on AUM Fidelity
Source:
Improvised Communications
Bassist-composer William Parker’s quartet may be the best working band in jazz today –- it’s certainly one of the most exciting. Every track on their third CD contains examples of their unexcelled collective and individual brilliance. Their liberated and disciplined use of the music’s possibilities makes this a deeply hopeful and uplifting album." --Ed Hazell, PointofDeparture.org
A welcome return to the studio from one of today's most esteemed working groups, Petit Oiseau is one of Parker's most accessible ...
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AUM Fidelity Announces New William Parker Quartet Recording
Source:
Improvised Communications
On October 14th, AUM Fidelity will release the William Parker Quartet's new album, Petit Oiseau (AUM050), the group's second studio effort and third release overall. Named after Little Bird (or Petit Oiseau in French), a character from one of bassist/composer William Parker's tone poems, this recording features eight original compositions, including works dedicated to musicians Malachi Favors, Alan Shorter and Arthur Williams. Other pieces take their inspiration from such diverse sources as the inherent rhythm of life and the nomadic ...
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