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William Parker: Embracing The Unknown
by Luke Seabright
His is one of the most distinctive and respected voices on double bass today. William Parker, the tireless composer, multi-instrumentalist, educator and poet, is still today omnipresent on the contemporary free jazz scene. What's more, he has been consistently for the last four decades. The William Parker Sessionography: A Work in Progress by Rick Lopez clocks in at just below 500 pages, and, as the title suggests, it hasn't finished growing. In it are of course referenced his many acclaimed ...
Continue ReadingTroy Collins' Best Releases of 2017
by Troy Collins
Considering the quantity of recordings released in a year's time, attempting to compile a comprehensive end of the year list mentioning every first-rate session would be difficult at best. The ten titles listed below represent a fertile cross-section of some of the most compelling modern jazz heard in 2017. William Parker Quartets Meditation/Resurrection (AUM Fidelity) The common thread running through both sets of this diverse double-album is the camaraderie William Parker enjoys with ...
Continue ReadingWilliam Parker: Meditation / Resurrection
by Giuseppe Segala
La forza assertiva e la schiettezza sono caratteristiche evidenti nella musica di William Parker. Schiettezza intesa come combinazione limpida di atteggiamento positivo, umano, fiero. Dice lo stesso contrabbassista: “La musica riguarda la vita; ha sempre riguardato la gente e la salute dello spirito. Attraverso la musica, la vita sperimenta cambiamenti." E Joe Morris, chitarrista e contrabbassista, ha usato parole condivisibili per descrivere la musica di Parker: “È musica priva di cinismo. La sua potente energia deriva dalla compassione e dalla ...
Continue ReadingWilliam Parker Quartets: Meditation / Resurrection
by Mark Corroto
Bassist William Parker's Quartets (note the plural) presented here are, of course just a fraction of the ensembles he is currently organizing and working in. It is these 2 quartets that manifest the Yin and Yang that is Parker. The question might be, is his Quartet of trumpeter Jalalu-Kalvert Nelson, alto saxophonist Rob Brown, and drummer Hamid Drake, the Yang, or positive/active/male principal in nature, and his In Order To Survive quartet with pianist Cooper-Moore switching with Nelson the Yin, ...
Continue ReadingI Am Not Your Negro: History Revisited through a Personal Lens
by Victor L. Schermer
I Am Not Your Negro Narrator: Samuel L. Jackson Director: Raoul Peck Distributor: Velvet Films This electrifying docu-drama invoking the eloquent words and profound personal experience of the great writer James Baldwin brings to life the stormy and transformational period of the Civil Rights movement in a way that is far more vivid than the images many saw on their small TV screens in the 1960s. The images, sound track, Baldwin's ...
Continue ReadingWilliam Parker: 65th Birthday Celebration Concert at the Painted Bride
by Victor L. Schermer
William Parker and Friends Painted Bride Arts Center William Parker 65th Birthday Celebration Philadelphia, PA January 21, 2017 To celebrate the 65th birthday of legendary bassist William Parker, the Painted Bride Arts Center, Ars Nova Workshop, and Bobby Zankel's Warriors of the Wonderful Sound joined forces to sponsor a top of the line sextet including Parker in the catbird seat and Zankel at the helm. For those who don't know about Parker, he ...
Continue ReadingJakob Baekgaard's Best Releases Of 2016
by Jakob Baekgaard
The world seems more uncertain than ever before, but in times of uncertainty, music provides comfort and a hope that it is actually possible to communicate across borders, whether they be physical or psychological. Among the releases that caught my attention this year, the one that meant most to me by far is not on this list, and it was not even reviewed on All About Jazz, not by me or any other writer. Bassist, composer and ...
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