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William Parker Raining on the Moon: Corn Meal Dance
by AAJ Italy Staff
Giganteggia la figura di William Parker nel panorama della musica improvvisata di oggi: predicatore, musicista immenso, teorico, storico coscienzioso, giustiziere a volte, catalizzatore di talenti ed energie, animatore straordinario e responsabile, almeno in gran parte, della rinascita di certo black free gravitante intorno all’area newyorchese. E, d’altro canto, il contrabbassista ha le spalle larghe e non ha mai rifuggito le proprie responsabilità, dimostrando di essere pienamente cosciente del ruolo di guida spirituale, coscienza critica e ultimo erede della cultura, non ...
Continue ReadingWilliam Parker: Corn Meal Dance
by Michael McCaw
Steeped in the bedrock of the blues, hearkening back to sounds of Charles Mingus' Blues and Roots jazz, and featuring one of the more compelling and soulful voices in music today, Corn Meal Dance by bassist William Parker, is a complete package even if it takes a few listens to hear.With a few exceptions, lyrics in jazz are often straight forward and leave little to interpretation. And upon first listen here one might feel that the lyrics are ...
Continue ReadingWilliam Parker: Corn Meal Dance
by James Taylor
William Parker's Corn Meal Dance showcases the enigmatic figure's best attributes--not as bassist but, instead, as band leader and poet. The release finds Parker again working with his Raining On The Moon Quintet, first featured on Raining On The Moon (Thirsty Ear, 2002). An overall more pop and blues-oriented record than some of Parker's more eclectic excursions, Corn Meal Dance is refreshing and Parker's words thought provoking.Joining Parker is Rob Brown (alto sax), Hamid Drake (drums), Lewis Barnes ...
Continue ReadingWilliam Parker / Raining On The Moon: Corn Meal Dance
by Glenn Astarita
New York bassist/composer/poet and bandleader William Parker stands tall among the crème de la crème of great musical minds and instrumentalists. Corn Meal Dance, featuring his group Raining On The Moon, further instills a mystical framework that seems to yield notions of a sense of oneness, regardless of ensemble size or musical direction. These qualities ring loud and clear on this downright beautiful jazz recording, designed with lyrical content that touches upon existentialism, spirituality and sociopolitical musings.
Vocalist ...
Continue ReadingWho Owns Music?
by Kurt Gottschalk
Who Owns Music? William Parker Buddy's Knife 2007
Bassist and polymath William Parker's world is huge. Like Charles Mingus or Anthony Braxton, Parker's art is like an enormous quilt. He slowly, deliberately, adds squares to the fabric of a design that is probably bigger than could be completed in a single lifetime. For Parker, it's not just the compositions, not just working with musicians and the ways they interact. It's not just the poetry ...
Continue ReadingWilliam Parker / Raining On The Moon: Corn Meal Dance
by Troy Collins
Bassist, composer, Vision Festival organizer and all-around Renaissance man William Parker is a man of many talents, from solo bass recitalist to big band leader. Raining On The Moon, his lyrical group, features the vocal talents of Leena Conquest, singing Parker's words like they were her own. Based on the same line-up as his long-standing quartet (altoist Rob Brown, trumpeter Lewis Barnes and drummer Hamid Drake), this variation featured on Corn Meal Dance adds a new voice, pianist Eri Yamamoto. ...
Continue ReadingWilliam Parker: The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield - Live in Rome
by AAJ Italy Staff
Tralasciamo per una volta le sacrosante considerazioni sulla centralità della figura di William Parker nella scena attuale, e non solo, della musica improvvisata più creativa. Tralasciamo anche i meriti, culturali, sociali, quasi di testimonianza, di Tracce [per leggerne un profilo clicca qui], collana discografica fortemente voluta da Pino Saulo, diretta emanazione del programma di Radio3 “Battiti“. Leggiamo ad ascolto terminato le illuminanti note di copertina scritte da Parker stesso sull’eterna diatriba riguardante la suddivisione della musica in generi o sui ...
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