Jazz Articles about William Parker

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William Parker: Corn Meal Dance

by Michael McCaw
December 14, 2007

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 ...

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William Parker: Corn Meal Dance

by James Taylor
December 2, 2007

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 ...

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William Parker / Raining On The Moon: Corn Meal Dance

by Glenn Astarita
October 19, 2007

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 ...

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Who Owns Music?

by Kurt Gottschalk
October 6, 2007

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 ...

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William Parker / Raining On The Moon: Corn Meal Dance

by Troy Collins
September 17, 2007

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. ...

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William Parker: The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield - Live in Rome

by AAJ Italy Staff
September 3, 2007

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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William Parker - Hamid Drake: First Communion + Piercing The Veil / Summer Snow

by AAJ Italy Staff
July 9, 2007

Al momento della prima uscita di Piercing The Veil il “culto" di William Parker e Hamid Drake presso gli appassionati italiani di jazz non era ancora esploso in tutta la sua pienezza. Ancora impensabili erano le glorie della tre giorni romana di “New York Is Now" e dell'incredibile affetto con cui vengono ora seguite le loro frequenti apparizioni nei nostri festival e nelle nostre rassegne. Era allora l'inizio di aprile del 2000 e il mettere assieme - in un concerto ...