Search - Leon Parker :: Simple Life

Jazz percussion as it should be

Nobody important | 08/22/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"My original opinion of percussion instruments was that they were mostly superfluous. Most drummers, in the grand tradition of Animal from the Muppets, play too loudly and too quickly at all times. After all, who really needs percussion instruments anyway when there are guitarists like Preston Reed and Richard Leo Johnson (and I suppose I should mention Michael Hedges) who can play percussion, rhythm and lead lines all at the same time on a guitar by combining two-handed tapping and slapping the body of the guitar? That was my opinion of percussion until I first heard Leon Parker a few years back. Since then, I have followed his career with great interest. Leon is a true master who can squeeze more intricate sounds out of a minimal kit than just about anyone. More importantly, he does it with soul and style without resorting to cliches. On this album, he delves further into the realm of world music than on previous albums, from afro-cuban to african to middle-eastern, but always keeps the music firmly rooted in the post-bop tradition. Even more impressively, he does so without falling into the same pits as "fusion" musicians who try to make similar genre leaps. If you have been disappointed in the past by world-music cross-over albums that sound like parodies of themselves, you need look no further than this album to hear how it should be done. There are a few dull moments, and the sound quality of the live track detracts from how good a performance it was, so I give it 4 stars instead of 5, but this is still an excellent album, and a must-have for anyone interested in jazz percussion, or even just forward-thinking jazz.Further listening: Ernest Ranglin's "In Search of the Lost Riddim"-- what happens when a jazz-reggae guitarist travels to Senegal to work with Baaba Maal and crowd? You get an album that combines the best of jazz, reggae and african folk with a healthy dose of very cool drumming to compliment Ranglin's always tight guitar work. McCoy Tyner's "Blue Bossa"-- a mix of Latin jazz, bossa nova and of course, some hard-bop with a rhythm section that can really cook. Steve Tibbetts' "Northern Song"-- Tibbetts is one of the best guitarists you will ever hear, but on this album, it is the percussion on show, with a fascinating array of percussion instruments played masterfully by Tibbetts' favorite side-man, Marc Anderson."

Sometimes Less Is Less

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 09/27/2001

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Don't get me wrong. I'm a big fan of World Jazz (or Jazz Beat), a true coming together of the jazz tradition and some authentic world/folk music, such as Afro-Cuban jazz, or Celtic jazz. Leon Parker has proved in the past that he can make effective records in this musical mode.The problem with this outing is that there just isn't enough of musical substance here. While the formula is similar to his previous records, the results are inferior. Things are so stripped down that on some of the cuts virtually nothing happens. Personally, I think he's milked the minimalist formula as far as it can go, to the point of diminishing returns. For a much more successful disk using a similar approach, check out either one of bandmate Sam Newsome's CD's with his his group Global Unity (one or both of which I'll be reviewing soon)."