Jazz Articles about William Parker

Anthony Braxton / Milford Graves / William Parker: Beyond Quantum

by Troy Collins
August 25, 2008

An unprecedented free jazz summit meeting of the highest order, Beyond Quantum features composer/multi-instrumentalist Anthony Braxton, percussionist Milford Graves and bassist William Parker in an impromptu blowing session recorded at Bill Laswell's studio.

Anthony Braxton has been enjoying a well-deserved resurgence in popularity, courtesy of a growing discography that features collaborations with former students turned rising stars including Taylor Ho Bynum, Mary Halvorson and Jessica Pavone. William Parker has been a galvanizing force in the international scene as ...

William Parker: Double Sunrise Over Neptune

by Troy Collins
August 19, 2008

Following Roy Campbell's Akhenaten Suite and Bill Dixon's 17 Musicians in Search of a Sound: Darfur, bassist William Parker's Double Sunrise Over Neptune is the third release from AUM Fidelity this year to document premiere performances from the 2007 Vision Festival. Heavily influenced by West African, Middle Eastern, and East Asian traditions, this two-part suite is a prime example of Parker's concept of universal tonality--a kaleidoscopic tour-de-force that encapsulates the festival's multicultural aesthetic.

Parker plays a supportive role ...

William Parker: Double Sunrise Over Neptune

by John Sharpe
August 9, 2008

William Parker's Double Sunrise Over Neptune is the third and final commission by Arts For Arts from the 2007 Vision Festival to appear on AUM Fidelity following releases by Roy Campbell and Bill Dixon. Although recorded live, the premiere suffered from technical difficulties in the sound mix, which meant that the musicians reconvened the following afternoon to record the piece a second time. Happily the technical frustrations don't impinge on the enjoyment of a piece that blends Asian and African ...

William Parker: Double Sunrise Over Neptune

by Nic Jones
August 5, 2008

This is so much more than an expansion of multi-instrumentalist William Parker's freewheeling and indeed freer work with his quartet, although a couple of members of that band are present in the ranks of this large ensemble charged with the task of bringing the music off the page. They do this with extraordinary clarity of thought and deed and the results are as compelling as anything released so far this year.

Maximizing in his use of minimal material and a ...

Wiliam Parker Triple: Corn Meal Dance; The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield: Live in Rome & Alphaville Suite

by Kurt Gottschalk
June 8, 2008

William Parker / Raining on the Moon Corn Meal Dance Aum Fidelity 2007 William Parker The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield: Live in Rome Rai Trade 2007 William Parker Double Quartet Alphaville Suite Music Inspired by the Jean Luc Godard Film RogueArt 2007

William Parker: Blue Shadows & The Last Dances

by Kurt Gottschalk
March 15, 2008

Charles Gayle Blue Shadows Silkheart 2007 Hamid Drake/Anders Gahnold/William Parker The Last Dances Ayler 2007

Over the last decade (this year marks the 10th anniversary of his brilliant Peach Orchard), William Parker has come to be one of the most exciting bandleaders around. The great gains have come with a small loss: Parker ...

William Parker's Quartet: Continuing the Story in Vermont

by Lyn Horton
January 26, 2008

William Parker Quartet Vermont Jazz Center Brattleboro, Vermont January 12, 2008

Devotion to a steadfast belief manifests itself through persistence of doing, the doing coming down to the choices made by the believer. Bassist William Parker embodies the ultimate believer: he not only believes in the evolution of the culture of his personal heritage but, through his efforts, he endeavors to make the best of that culture a vital part of ...