Search - William Parker :: Scrapbook

The finest jazz album of 2003, period.

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

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Thirsty Ear, currently the jazz label to look to for innovation, has lately blazed a modest trend out of releasing music that often has one foot in cross-over funk and hip-hop, as well as a small group of releases that favor a more improvisational esthetic. William Parker's Scrapbook fits into the latter category. This is not to say the record doesn't occasionally groove, but it is so much more than that. The playing captures improvisation of the highest order, almost telepathic in its intensity.



Bassist Parker and drummer Hamid Drake make up one of the finest rhythm sections currently operating in today's "free jazz" scene. Empathetic to each other's contortions, it is a joy to hear them play off of each other. The pair achieves the same level of interplay between them as that found in classic performances by Charles Mingus and Dannie Richmond; there really is no higher compliment to a rhythm section.



Add to this duo the incredibly diverse violin stylings of Billy Bang and you've got a trio that can do almost anything. They cover an astonishing amount of ground, including blues vamps, swaggering funk, melodic swing, ballad lamentations, sprightly folk tunes and knotty free jazz, sometimes all within the same piece.



What separates Scrapbook from others of its ilk is the listening -- that is, the musicians' ability to listen to each other. This isn't simply a guest star soloist wanking over set changes to a static rhythm section, this record captures listening and reacting by seasoned pros. It is what real jazz is all about.



For what might seem a limited sonic palette, with only an acoustic bass, violin and trap set at their disposal, these three conjure a sonic world far removed from its austere beginnings. At times rough and acerbic, at others sweet and delicate, this is a studio session bound to become a classic. I try not to make grandiose statements like this lightly, but this album demands to be heard by all those interested in the finest contemporary jazz. Jazz album of the year, period.



(This review was originally written for the online webzine: junkmedia.org, and was published there June 27, 2003)"

They walk the walk and talk the talk

Ian Muldoon | Coffs Harbour, NSW Australia | 10/02/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Danged if I know what it is about the sound of the acoustic bass under the fingers of some - like Charles Mingus or Mr William Parker - but it has a power, attention getting lyricism, that rivets one's attention. It may be the bass is closest to the rhythm of the heart or is synchronitic with atmospheric radio waves that move through the body, but it is very affecting. Mr Parker's solo on SUNDAY MORNING CHURCH is at once reverent and joyful and elegiac - a powerful moment.

Mr Parker's namesake - Charles - once opined that if you don't live it it won't come out of your horn. In the case of

Mr William Parker he is clearly a deeply thoughtful human in the way that John Coltrane was who saw music as life and a spiritual manifestation of one's thoughts and feelings. In looking back at aspects of his life Mr Parker writes about on SCRAPBOOK he has brought to us rituals of Sunday Church, the joy of gospel and the sense of belonging to a loving group, magic, resilience, pride and joy and the sense that this music speaks

to me like Wordsworth wished his poetry to be - a man speaking to men. It may well be Mr Bang's most affecting album I have heard. As a Viet Nam Vet he brings a different experience to the mix but he displays a powerful lyricism and deep feeling. I found his playing of the repetitive melody on SCRAPBOOK quite moving. Mr Drake is everywhere brilliant. If you find swinging, deeply felt,

superbly intoned original compositions with a complex emotional mix appealing, then you will relish and live with this music for a long time. Especially stunning on quality high fidelity equipment. Perhaps even a masterpiece of a program of American music."

What a waste of time......

M. L. Sheppard | London | 07/16/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"....being at work when I could be at home listening to this.Superb. Totally agree that this is the jazz album of the year so far. I'm itching to get back home and listen to it again.
The Blue Series continues to release excellent stuff. How refreshing not to be reaching for back catalogues of established artists from years ago but instead to be thoroughly entertained by music that is all new and innovative.
The music on this CD is perhaps more accessible than some of the other titles in this series. The three musicians are so in tune with one another that the improvised nature of the music almost disappears. Everything just seems to flow and fit together beautifully. The last time I felt like this about a record was probably Kind of Blue and that was a long long time ago!"