Search - William Parker :: Sound Unity

Pure

John C. Graham | toronto, ontario Canada | 06/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"


This is an outstanding set of tunes, recorded live in montreal and vancouver last year. All six tunes are penned by Parker. They all have that rhythmic pulse that only Parker and Hamid Drake are able to create. Call it groove or call it swing, it's irrisistable. Nobody does it as well as Parker and Drake. Nobody.

Lewis Barnes and Rob Brown are an ideal horn team to play over top of the pulse. They are both strong ensemble players and spectacular soloists. There are no weak moments on this disc.

This is easily one of the top releases of this or any other year. Absolutely essential listening."

The Quartet - Live!

Troy Collins | Lancaster, PA United States | 05/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jazz bassist and composer William Parker is the penultimate Renaissance Man. Founder and organizer of NYC's Vision Fest, big band leader, sideman extraordinaire and duo partner with such scene luminaries as Hamid Drake and Matthew Shipp, Parker has demonstrated his talents in almost every conceivable setting. But it is in that most traditional of post-bop line-ups that Parker's true genius manifests itself, the piano-less quartet. Although they only have one previous album available, 2000's magnificent studio recording: "O'Neal's Porch," their lack of catalog has not diminished the group's importance or level of acclaim. Recorded live (with studio quality sound) in Vancouver and Montreal, "Sound Unity" is the triumphant follow up fans have been waiting for.



The album features all new tunes played with the stylistic variety and passionate intensity that this group is admired for. Parker's quartet writing is surprisingly melodic considering his avant garde credentials and all of the tunes feature catchy, memorable melodies. There are bouncy mid-tempo swingers such as the opening cut, "Hawaii," and the retro-cool swagger of the noirish "Harlem." "Poem For June Jordan," is a magisterial ballad, but the order of the day is the vigorous but accessible free-bop found in the jaunty, angular "Wood Flute Song." Parker's interest in traditional ethnic music is represented with the Africanized bass modal vamp that introduces the title track and "Groove" features Hamid Drake delivering a shuffling reggae rhythm that takes the album out on a gentle but joyous note.



The ensembles harmonic and rhythmic interplay is so remarkable that one can't help but be reminded of Ornette Coleman's classic quartet. Rob Brown's keening tart alto is often the hot Yin to Lewis Barne's cool muted trumpet Yang and Parker is not only the foundation, but a mighty soloist as well. To say there have been few other jazz bassists since Charles Mingus who are as melodic as Parker is no casual overstatement. As a rhythm section, the Parker-Drake axis is an unbeatable combination, from thrashing primal energy to subtle, nuanced call and response, these two can and have played virtually everything together. Widely considered one of jazz's finest rhythm sections, Parker and Drake's symbiotic rapport is well documented with "Sound Unity" as ample proof. This quartet exemplifies the art of jazz improvisation at its most telepathic level, a group that will easily go down in the history books as revered as Miles Davis' second quintet or John Coltrane's classic quartet.



Unbeknownst to me at the time, I was an audience member for the Montreal set and so can readily attest to the remarkable performances contained herein. A note on the sound quality for audiophiles; although the audience can be heard briefly clapping in the distance after individual solos, there is no other obvious indication of their presence. The endless applause that normally plagues live albums before and after tracks has been mercifully edited out and so the album flows seamlessly. The band is well miked and up front in the mix, so the entire recording is virtually studio quality."

The Quartet

Matthew Rosecan | Washington DC | 05/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mr. Parker's first album with this group, O'neal's Porch, rightfully received excellent reviews, appearing on NY Times top 10 list, and so on. The group did release another album a couple years ago with a vocalist, so this is essentially the second album featuring only the quartet.



It was released in late March by AUM Fidelity through their website, which is why I, and it seems the below reviewer, have heard this CD many times. I've listened to it almost every day for the past month, and I still look forward to listening it.



Parker has said that he would like his Orchestra to sound like a quartet- no easy feat considering the huge sound of it. At times I feel like this quartet sounds like an orchestra, and not because they play particularly loud or aggressive. As a matter of fact, this album is in many ways very straight ahead, full of melodies, walking bass, in the pocket drumming, and intertwined sax and trumpet. The reason I say that it sounds like an orchestra is that sometimes you can just hear something bigger than the four players. It has nothing to do with volume. It might be that they play so naturally, effortlessly, and with such confidence in each other, that they become not only "a whole greater than the sum", but an entire new entity. That may seem like hyperbole, but anyone who has seen William Parker play live knows that many strange things are possible.



More simply put, I think anyone can listen to this album and right away "get it". This is not avant-garde, or free, or straight ahead, or whatever other label there is. It is excellent music- and it also makes my crappy hour long commute somewhat enjoyable."