Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » William Parker Quartet: O'Neal's Porch

335

William Parker Quartet: O'Neal's Porch

By

Sign in to view read count
William Parker Quartet: O'Neal's Porch
One of William Parker's best talents is bringing otherworldly jazz down to earth. On this recording, aptly titled after his uncle O'Neal from South Carolina, Parker offers a collection of original tunes that stretch from the abstraction of pure energy to the dirtiness of down-home funk.

The anchor—or the root, to use a more vital analogy—of this group lies in the hands of Parker and drummer Hamid Drake. These two players have a unique cohesion and shared intuition that sets them apart as the most versatile and effective rhythm section in modern jazz. Perhaps it's the way William Parker often uses the bass as a rhythm instrument, interlocked with the groove or offering abstract counterpoint. (On "Purple," the opening track, he plays the talking drum—another tunable rhythm instrument. During the course of his brief conversation with Drake, Parker offers valuable insight into his vision of pitch transformed into pulse. Drake, in his usual inhuman eight-armed fashion, carries on the other half of the conversation equally vividly.)

Alto saxophonist Rob Brown plays with a surprising amount of energy on this disc, sparking an electric current which drives the group forward. His solo work on O'Neal's Porch represents some of his highest wattage work to date. To counterbalance this restless force, trumpeter Lewis Barnes often lays back, providing counterpoint or offering graceful, understated lines. Especially within the context of Parker's in-and-out compositions, these two players serve as ideal foils for each other. When appropriate, they can also integrate surprisingly intuitively.

The tunes on O'Neal's Porch (all by Parker) often use a composed theme and/or groove as a starting point for exploration. In this sense, they follow the usual jazz convention of head-solos-head. But moments of collective improvisation (as on "Leaf") explode the stereotype. And one has the sense that there are no hard-and-fast rules here. Much of the intrigue about O'Neal's Porch derives from the ambiguous structure of the music. You never really know where it's headed: whether in or out, whether back to the theme or out into space. Even when the tunes have a familiar swinging, funky, or melancholic feel, Parker's quartet offers plenty of surprises.


Note: this recording has been reissued by AUM Fidelity.

Track Listing

Purple; Sun; O'Neal's Porch; Rise; Song for Jesus; Leaf; Song for Jesus 3/4; Moon.

Personnel

William Parker: bass, talking drum; Rob Brown: alto saxophone; Hamid Drake: drums; Lewis Barnes: trumpet.

Album information

Title: O'Neal's Porch | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: Centering Music

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Fiesta at Caroga
Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective
Fellowship
David Gibson
Immense Blue
Olie Brice / Rachel Musson / Mark Sanders

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.