Jazz Articles about William Parker

About William Parker

Book Review

Conversations William Parker, Jacques Bisceglia, Ed Hazell Hardcover; 445 pages Rogueart 2011 Not since drummer Art Taylor's Notes and Tones (Da Capo, 1993)--the book which bassist William Parker says inspired him to undertake this project--has there been a book of interviews so vital, so down to earth and so personal. What we have here are 34 interviews conducted by Parker over approximately the last decade, 30 of which are with so-called free ...

Album Review

William Parker: I Play to Stay a Believer - The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield

by AAJ Italy Staff
September 12, 2011

Chi ha visto dal vivo questa bella formazione all'indomani della pubblicazione del primo CD (Live in Rome per Rai Trade) alla fine del 2007, un secondo disco un po' se lo aspettava. Anche perché a ogni concerto i pezzi inediti erano eccellenti e numerosi. Ed eccolo allora il secondo titolo, anche in questo caso dal vivo, in cui sono immortalati alcuni episodi di travolgente forza musicale e in cui un'inesauribile dimostrazione di libertà si coniuga perfettamente alla prospettiva dello sfortunato ...

Album Review

William Parker Organ Quartet: Uncle Joe's Spirit House

by AAJ Italy Staff
January 31, 2011

Aunt Carrie Lee Edwards e Uncle Joe, due nomi come tanti altri nell'America dei problemi razziali, del sogno americano irraggiungibile, dell'arte del guadagnarsi la vita con il duro lavoro, la fatica ed il sudore, dei legami famigliari mantenuti saldi a fronte di difficoltà enormi ed enormi sacrifici. A questi parenti ultranovantenni che hanno appena festeggiato i sessantacinque anni di matrimonio e alla loro Spirit House (una ipotetica, universale dimora dell'orgoglio nero) William Parker dedica questo splendido lavoro. Uncle Joe's Spirit ...

Album Review

William Parker - Gianni Lenoci - Vittorino Curci - Marcello Magliocchi: Serving an Envolving Humanity

by AAJ Italy Staff
December 9, 2010

Il disco documenta l'incontro senza rete tra William Parker e i nostri Lenoci, Magliocchi e Curci tenutosi a Noci, già patria dell'Europa Jazz Festival, nel luglio del 2009. La musica che si ascolta è, manco a dirlo (vista la storia personale dei quattro) un'improvvisazione ad alto tasso energetico, tesa alla vivacità ritmica, alla ricchezza timbrica e alla piena sensualità del sound. I tre brani, in cui si intrecciano percorsi e temperie abbastanza diverse ma un po' prevedibili - l'urlo belluino ...

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Album Review

William Parker Organ Quartet: Uncle Joe's Spirit House

Read "Uncle Joe's Spirit House" reviewed by Lyn Horton

by Lyn Horton
October 31, 2010

Defining his direction is one recognizable talent that composer/musician William Parker constantly demonstrates, though not in so many words; but within his art, the direction is clear as day. The musicians he chooses to fulfill his intentions are also exactly whom he needs, for he understands how they operate to blend in joyous confluence that is the realization of his music. In Uncle Joe's Spirit House, Parker's Organ Quartet constructs an aural Space addressing his own personal ...

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Album Review

William Parker: I Plan To Stay A Believer

Read "I Plan To Stay A Believer" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
October 6, 2010

From the first few bars of the title cut opening “I Plan To Stay A Believer," the riffing horns, infectiously funky beat and expressive soulful singing of Leena Conquest quickly establishes` this as one of bassist/composer William Parker's most accessible projects. This set has been a long time coming. The idea of a tribute to legendary soul singer Curtis Mayfield first came up in discussion between Parker and pianist Matthew Shipp in 2000, overheard by producer Xavier Lemettre, who later ...

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Album Review

William Parker Organ Quartet: Uncle Joe's Spirit House

Read "Uncle Joe's Spirit House" reviewed by Troy Collins

by Troy Collins
October 5, 2010

Renowned in avant-garde jazz circles for his steadfast leadership, bassist, composer and bandleader William Parker's all-encompassing artistry has long been influenced by a variety of sources, both abstract and concrete. Though mysticism and spirituality play a hand in his expansive aesthetic, so do earthly concerns like social justice and family. Uncle Joe's Spirit House, the debut of Parker's Organ Quartet, is a persuasive example of the later.The album is dedicated to his Aunt Carrie Lee Edwards and Uncle ...