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Joelle Leandre / William Parker: Live At Dunois
by Glenn Astarita
Eleven years have passed since the estimable duo of Joëlle Leandre and William Parker recorded Contrabasses for this U.K.-based record label. During that time, the two bassists have undertaken numerous projects while stamping their respective and somewhat legendary faculties across a broad path of the improvisational spectrum. Whatever the muse or passion, these artists' musical ingenuity and prowess speak encyclopedic volumes. On this live date recorded in 2009 at the Sons D'Hiver festival, the Leandre and Parker let the tapes ...
Continue ReadingWilliam Parker: Deep Roots
by Kurt Gottschalk
William Parker's East Village apartment is abuzz with activity on what would seem to be a typical November afternoon in the hive of New York free jazz. Cell phones and laptops are whirring, Parker making arrangements for an upcoming tour as his wife, the dancer and tireless organizer Patricia Nicholson, sets details for an upcoming fundraiser in her efforts to find a permanent home and performing space for Art for Arts and RUCMA, the sibling organizations that put on the ...
Continue ReadingWilliam Parker Quartet: Petit Oiseau
by AAJ Italy Staff
Che dire ancora su William Parker che non sia ancora stato detto? Che è uno dei musicisti più prolifici attualmente sulla scena, che ha rivitalizzato la assopita scena free newyorchese, che ha lanciato una serie di musicisti diventati stelle di prima grandezza, che è solista formidabile, che è artista inventivo e aperto, che la sua musica abbatte barriere stilistiche e pregiudizi, e che raramente sbaglia un colpo. Come in questo Petit Oiseau. Rispolverato il classico quartetto tromba-sax che aveva già ...
Continue ReadingWilliam Parker: Petit Oiseau
by Lyn Horton
Bassist William Parker is a consummate musical storyteller. In every group he leads he becomes the father, the uncle, a present day version of the classic Homer, to pass down through generations the essential message of music: that it is a part of us all and without it, we might tend to be soulless. For Parker, within sound's continuum, music conveys everything that is human, hopefully in terms that imply humanity's goodness, a strong spirituality and that which transcends man's ...
Continue ReadingWilliam Parker Quartet: Petit Oiseau
by John Sharpe
Petit Oiseau is the third release by the William Parker Quartet, with an unchanged lineup featuring the empathetic pairing of Rob Brown on alto saxophone (clarinet on one track) and Lewis Barnes on trumpet, alongside the in demand rhythm team of drummer Hamid Drake and the leader’s bass. It follows O’Neals Porch (Aum Fidelity, 2002) and the live Sound Unity (Aum Fidelity, 2005), showcasing the same winning formula of inventive solos, evolving grooves and short catchy themes.
Continue ReadingWilliam Parker Quartet: Petit Oiseau
by Nic Jones
Bassist and composer William Parker has been leading this quartet for eight years now and this is the group's third release overall. That information is more than usually pertinent in this case as it brings home precisely why this music is so cogently executed. Familiarity between these four men has not led to a blase attitude to the music along with the kind of coasting that goes with it, but to the strength of the collective sound of a group ...
Continue ReadingWilliam Parker Quartet: Petit Oiseau
by Troy Collins
Last heard on 2005's live recording Sound Unity (AUM Fidelity), Petit Oiseau is the triumphant return of bassist William Parker's longstanding quartet. This superb studio session features the same passionate swing and heartfelt lyricism that made their debut record, O'Neal's Porch (Centering, 2001) an instant classic.Few veteran working groups are able to balance inside/outside traditions as gracefully as Parker's flagship ensemble has over the past decade. Parker's formative experiences supporting Cecil Taylor and David S. Ware have endowed ...
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