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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 ...
Continue ReadingWilliam 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 ...
Continue ReadingWilliam 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 ...
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