The Evan Parker

The Evan Parker Trio, as always, play with the intuition and improvisatory grace that comes when skilled musicians are in tune with each other's idiosyncracies, giving Natives and Aliens a light -- almost swinging, in the old-school sense -- touch that's often missing in this brand of modern jazz

Evan Parker - Chicago Solo (1997) {Okkadisk OD12017 rec 1995}
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© 1997 Okkadisk | OD12017
Jazz / Free Jazz / Free Improvisation / Saxophone

Recorded in a Chicago studio and feeling as if it were a live concert, despite his many solo saxophone recordings, the Chicago Solo by Evan Parker is very special. For one thing, this is a completely tenor saxophone set; the trademark soprano is nowhere in evidence. For another, Parker seems very interested in the extended tones of the horn rather than in the fiery creation of microtonal knots of sound. On "Chicago Solo 3," he pulls his tone right from the bell, rolling out notes along the physical properties of the horn itself, exploring each vibration and sub-tone as a color and of its own territory, worthy of exploration and he follows them into the bell and back.

Founded in 1992, Evan Parker's Electro-Acoustic Ensemble is a highly sophisticated grouping, which for this recording conceptually pairs three acoustic musicians with electronic tone manipulators. What keeps it so interesting is the different approaches to electronics, with Walter Prati transforming Parker's sounds, Marco Vecchi reformulating Paul Lytton's percussion, and violinist Philipp Wachsmann processing his own acoustic sounds and those of bassist Barry Guy. It is all fascinating stuff, and if it does not swing or fit into any easy definitions of "jazz," it takes the concept of improvisation to a new level. There is sometimes an aimlessness to it all that can be off-putting, but concentrated listening can produce wonderful rewards for the patient consumer. Parker's role seems less that of a leader than an instigator. He does, nonetheless, afford himself the opportunity to press his revolutionary technique to action.

Evan Parker - Time Lapse (2006) {Tzadik Composer Series}
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© 2006 Tzadik | Composer Series | TZ 8026
Jazz / Classical / Avant-Garde Jazz / Chamber Music

Evan Parker has practically single handedly redefined the language of the saxophone. A profound influence on several generations of musicians, his impact on modern saxophone technique is staggering. His newest project takes his visionary music to a new level through the world of overdubbing and electronics. Time Lapse is one of Evan’s greatest achievements. Eleven compositions by one of the most important and radical improvisers in the world. Essential.

Paul Bley, Evan Parker, Barre Phillips - Sankt Gerold Variations (2000) {ECM 1609}
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© 2000 ECM Records | ECM 1609
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Microtonal / Piano

ECM brought this trio of innovative free jazz veterans together for the first time to make the critically-acclaimed "Time Will Tell" album in 1994 - since then, it has become a popular institution on the touring circuit. "Sankt Gerold" is a live album, taped at the Austrian mountain monastery that has been the site of many distinguished ECM recordings, and it roves through many different moods. Parker and Phillips goad Bley toward some of his most abstract and experimental playing, yet they also respond to his more lyrical improvisational impulses. All three musicians are changed by the context. This is free music making at its purest.

Evan Parker - Time Lapse (2006) {Tzadik}
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© 2006 Tzadik | TZ 8026
Jazz / Free Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Saxophone

The music of avant garde saxophonist Evan Parker is not generally known as easy listening, and though his recordings for ECM may have tended toward the atmospheric, 2006's TIME LAPSE, released on Tzadik, finds Parker returning to challenging form. There are 11 original compositions here, and Parker's sax is the only instrument on most (though he makes ample use of multi-tracking ). Parker can be ruminative at times, and at others full of gutsy, exploratory fire, giving fans familiar with this contemporary avant icon's wild, mercurial sound much to appreciate.

Jah Wobble & Evan Parker - Passage To Hades (2001) {30 Hertz Records 30HZCD14}
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© 2001 30 Hertz Records | 30HZCD14
Experimental / Dub / Avant-Garde / Saxophone

Taking as their inspiration the Greek myth of Orpheus, European improv king Evan Parker (tenor and soprano saxophone) and Invaders of the Heart alumni Clive Bell and Jean-Pierre Rasle invest in a series of stark, repetitive bass and drum structures on Passage to Hades. At the music's core is the rhythm axis of Jah Wobble and Mark Sanders. The duo maps out the territory, delivering all that's required and more through minimal means. It's a refreshing change of scenery for Parker, who's normally heard in avant-garde ensembles or blazing solo performances. Here, he's confined to a stark, muscular groove and he responds beautifully. Like the later recordings by John Coltrane (an early influence), the saxophonist unleashes an abundance of dialog on his instruments, though he never quite reaches the torrents of sound one might expect.