Search - Jeff Parker :: Like-Coping

Adventurous guitar trio, both exploratory and beautiful.

Troy Collins | Lancaster, PA United States | 08/18/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"You might recognize Jeff Parker from his membership in Tortoise and as the guitarist of both Isotope 217 and the various Chicago Underground projects. Having heard that Parker was an AACM-trained jazz guitarist upon his entry into the post-rock scene, I figured that it was only a matter of time until he would release an "official" solo album under his own name. It seems this is something that he has been reluctant to do, as he states in Like-Coping 's liner notes that he feared a traditional solo outing would be "selling out to convention." However, considering that half the album's compositions are written by the other two members of the trio, bassist Chris Lopez and drummer Chad Taylor, the record is nothing if not a collaborative effort.



Indeed, Jeff Parker's first outing as a solo artist is less a grandstanding virtuoso affair than a collaborative recording featuring three of Chicago's finest musicians. Although three writers are involved on this release, there is clearly a sense of stylistic similarity, one born of familiarity. A dozen years of playing together links these three, and it shows in their empathic interplay. Much of their writing style has the unadorned melodicism of their fellow post-rock Chicago brethren. It is in the trio's more spontaneous moments that the members betray their avant-garde jazz heritage.



The album opens with a slow, short ballad to ease you in, but then the title track quickly kicks in and swings along delightfully. This sets the pace for the majority of the album, which is, for the most part, a harmonically rich affair. This is not to ignore the multifarious rhythmic aspect of the trio, however. Take for example the catchy, retro groove of "Watusi", the cool, laid-back swing of "Scrambler" or the asymmetrical forward momentum that is "Cubes."



Like-Coping offers a hint or two of the sort of free-jazz maelstrom that these fellows can whip up in a live setting. There is dissonant call-and-response-based interplay, most notably on "Holiday For A Despot" and "Omega Sci Fi," the only two fully improvised cuts on the album. But, for the most part, the record focuses on melodic and rhythmic improvisation with a fluent sense of swing.



Those already familiar with Isotope 217 and the various Chicago Underground line-ups will find precedents for the material presented here in those groups' albums. So, although there are few surprises here, that really isn't the point of this album. The classic trio setting enables these three to explore more subtle dynamics than is usually possible with a larger band. And in that sense, this album fills in previously undocumented stylistic territory for these players. This is their spin on the straight-ahead, classic jazz guitar trio.



For connoisseurs of the Chicago post-rock/jazz scene, this will be another fine addition to your collection. For those simply looking for a guitar-based jazz trio album a little left of the status quo (i.e. Scofield/Metheny/Frisell), this could very well open a few ears."

Smart & likable

N. Dorward | Toronto, ON Canada | 04/04/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is Parker's first disc as a leader, though as it happens he deliberately avoids hogging the spotlight: it's very much a collective trio, there are quite a few compositions by the other two members of the trio (bassist Chris Lopes is in fact the composer of the tune that gives the album its enigmatic title), & there are two freeform collective improvisations too. It's a very _likable_ album, mostly in a quite orthodox jazz-guitar mode: Parker's unvirtuosic but articulate solo style is reminiscent of Grant Green at many points, & he even drops in an homage to Green on "Scrambler" (a snippet of "Gooden's Corner"). The two free improvisations are abrasive & distorted, but the rest is delivered with a clean, decidedly retro tone. There's some "outside" material, but only if you think harmolodics are still "outside," four decades after Ornette Coleman made his mark; Parker's methodology on such tracks is rather similar to Bern Nix's _Alarms and Excursions_, if you happen to have heard that album. Other tracks are entirely orthodox, but have a nice tight, songlike feel that contrasts with the way so many guitarists nowadays use their instruments like sprayguns.Good stuff--this one's had a lot of play on the stereo since I got it. A very unusual studio sound on the disc--avoiding that in-your-face, close-miked feel that too many studio albums have. It adds to the essentially tranquil, cooled-out feel of the disc."

New take on the guitar trio... pinnacle of modern playing

Tom | Detroit, Michigan | 06/24/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jeff Parker has done it again. His playing is as unique as Bill Frisell and Kurt Rosenwinkel, but is so fresh and so far left of his mainstream counterparts. The subtleness in his improvisations in unmatched in it phrasing and articulation. Not only does Jeff give a six star performance, but his supporting cast of drummer Chad Taylor and bassist Chris Lopes gives this new frsh take on the guitar trio a hip, laid back expereince of sound and color. This record is a must for any guitar enthusiast or jazz fan looking for new sounds, and may prove to give some pleasent surprises for music lovers looking to add to their collection. Also check out Jeff's work with Chicago Underground, Tortoise and Isotope 217"