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Chad Fowler: Alien Skin
by John Sharpe
Although the group responsible for Alien Skin might be a one-off, unlikely to meet again in this exact configuration, it contains sufficient prior connections to vouchsafe cohesion, to go with the undoubted quality. Bassist William Parker furnishes the common denominator, having previously recorded with all of the participants, even relative newcomer, reed player Zoh Amba, while pianist Matthew Shipp's releases with saxophonist Ivo Perelman are legendary and abundant. Label boss reedman Chad Fowler hooks up regularly with drummer Steve Hirsh, ...
Continue ReadingWilliam Parker, Gretchen Parlato, Miles Davis and More
by Jerome Wilson
This show, from August 2021, features what was then brand-new music by William Parker, Mark Masters, and Gretchen Parlato as well as older music by Miles Davis, Roberta Piket, and Hal McKusick. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) 00:00 Yes Trio “Tokyo Dream" from Groove Du Jour (Jazz&People) 00:59 Lucas Pino “Frustrations" from That's A Computer (Outside In) 5:51 Host ...
Continue ReadingChad Fowler: Alien Skin
by Mike Jurkovic
Just from the paperwork alone, it was duly expected that Alien Skin would be unruly, raw, and cathartic. That is just the nature of the beast. That is just the way the big man planned it. But even with all that said, no one (including the players) saw Alien Skin coming down the runway. A bayou bebop rave-up of the highest order, the album's madcap namesake rips the veil, drops the mic, and makes subversive a badge of ...
Continue ReadingChad Fowler: Alien Skin
by Mark Corroto
Freely improvised music, saxophonist Paul Flaherty dubbed it “the hated music." Experiencing Alien Skin brings to mind another quote, this one from a shampoo commercial from the late 1980s: “Don't hate me because I'm beautiful." A beautiful alchemy is this session captured in the fall of 2021. It contains a three-horn front line of Chad Fowler, Ivo Perelman and Zoh Amba, plus pianist Matthew Shipp, bassist William Parker, and drummer Steve Hirsh. I reference alchemy because the quintet ...
Continue ReadingWilliam Parker: Universal Tonality
by Mark Corroto
Let's Imagine the difficulty William Parker must face filling out his responses to the U.S. census every 10 years. What is his origin? His race? And how many people occupy his residence—or maybe a better question: how many races are contained within this one person? Joking aside, the musician William Parker has become an everyman. His music, art and poetry embody the concept heard here as Universal Tonality. His music is beyond genre, beyond nationality and beyond cultures. He is ...
Continue ReadingWilliam Parker: Universal Tonality
by Angelo Leonardi
A vent'anni dalla sua incisione ecco un inedito orchestrale di William Parker, in un cast ricco di nomi prestigiosi come il trombonista Grachan Moncur III, il violinista Billy Bang, il pianista Dave Burrell, il percussionista Jerome Cooper e il batterista Gerald Cleaver. Accanto a questi sono presenti partner di lunga data del contrabbassista, come il sassofonista Rob Brown, il trombonista Steve Swell, il chitarrista Joe Morris e la vocalist Leena Conquest. L'edizione della Centering Records è disponibile sia in digitale ...
Continue ReadingChristopher Parker: Soul Food
by John Sharpe
Pianist Christopher Parker convenes the Band Of Guardian Angels for five slices of rootsy free jazz on Soul Food. There is an organic down home feel to the often laid back interplay. But of course the creation of enduring music while being this relaxed occurs not by chance but stems from untold depth of experience. Joining Parker and his wife, vocalist Kelley Hurt, are three vets from the NYC scene in bassist William Parker (no relation), drummer Gerald Cleaver and ...
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