Jazz Articles about William Parker

About William Parker

Album Review

Daniel Carter / Sabir Mateen / William Parker / Lou Grassi: Keeping It In Context

Read "Keeping It In Context" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
September 30, 2026

This resounding blast from the past affirms drummer Lou Grassi's decision to flip from mainly commercial music to the adventurous end of the spectrum. He recorded Keeping It In Context in a 1996 session with some of New York City's finest avant practitioners following PoGressions (CJR, 1996), the date that led to him first dipping his toe in the free jazz waters. However, over time he forgot about the tapes. But when they resurfaced in 2023, their quality was immediately ...

Album Review

Ivo Perelman: Synesthesia

Read "Synesthesia" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic

by Mike Jurkovic
August 3, 2026

Like past gatherings of tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman, pianist Matthew Shipp, bassist William Parker, and drummer Bobby Kapp, inscribed to memory on the highly touted Ineffable Joy (ESP, 2019) and Heptagon (Leo Records, 2017), Synesthesia erupts into consciousness with a punch and flurry. Feverish by design, “First Color Heard" stays true to its title and to the heart of each participant. Rambling, rumbling, reaching for the stars, Perelman exhorts his fellow travelers, and “First Color Heard" fills the airspace ...

Live Review

William Parker's Pocketwatch at Loove Annex

by Fran Kursztejn
May 8, 2026

William Parker's Pocketwatch Loove Annex AFA ResidencyNew York City April 8, 15, 22, 29, 2026 Before beginning his final set of the night, William Parker took a moment to explain the name of his 'Pocketwatch ensemble, a rotating group of polyphonic masters that have met every Wednesday of April at Greenpoint's Loove Annex. The watch was handed down from Parker's father. It was made of real gold (Mr. Parker points to a facsimile that hangs from his ...

Radio & Podcasts

This One's For Bob Rogers: Radio for a Poet Who Just Happened to Program Radio

by Hobart Taylor
March 4, 2026

William Parker, Jane IraBloom, Rez Abassi and Helen Sung and other artists culled from Bob Rogers' playlist. Playlist Host Speaks 00:00 Helen Sung “Feed The Fire" from Quartet + (Sunnyside) 02:34 Angelica Sanchez/Marilyn Crispell “Windfall Light" from How to Turn the Moon (Pyroclastic) 6:57 Rez Abbasi “Lonnie's Lament" from Sound Remains (Whirlwind) 11:57 Maya Beiser “Kebyar Maya" from Kinship (Koch) 19:55 Nels Cline Singers “Watch Over Us" from The Giant Pin (Cryptogramophone) 33:26 Host Speaks 39:51 Moppa Elliot ...

Album Review

John Dikeman: No Kings

by John Sharpe
January 7, 2026

Recorded live in 2022, No Kings documents a volatile meeting between a formidable European horn partnership and American free jazz royalty. In 2015, expat American saxophonist John Dikeman initiated a trio with bassist William Parker and drummer Hamid Drake. Five years later, he invited Portuguese trumpeter Luis Vicente to join them, resulting in the quartet heard here on its second album, following Goes Without Saying, But It's Got To Be Said (JACC Records, 2020). The reedman and brass player share ...

Live Review

Vilnius Jazz Festival 2025

by Ieva Pakalniškytė
November 18, 2025

Vilnius Jazz Festival 2025 Old Theatre of Vilnius Vilnius, Lithuania October 13-21, 2025 This report covers five days from October 15-19. The thirty-eighth edition of the Vilnius Jazz Festival opened with the assurance of an event that has spent decades refining both its aesthetic and its purpose. As one of Vilnius's most enduring festivals--shaped for almost four decades by producer Antanas Gustys--it continues to articulate a distinctive philosophy at a moment when many ...

In Pictures

Jazz & Wine of Peace 2025, Part 1

by Luciano Rossetti
November 17, 2025

A collection of photos from the Jazz & Wine of Peace in Cormons, from October 23-26, 2025. This was the first year with the new Artistic Director, Enrico Bettinello. The festival lineup featured William Parker Trio, James Brandon Lewis Quartet, Valentina Fin, Simona Severini, The Necks, Nubya Garcia Quartet, Tania Giannouli Trio, Anais Drago Trio, Silvia Bolognesi and many others. In addition, celebrated photographer Ziga Koritnik was the subject of a photo exhibition, coinciding with the publication of his book ...