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Dopolarians: Garden Party (Mahakala)

Early in 2019, the avant-garde jazz world suffered a crate-sized blow when drummer Alvin Fielder passed away at 83. A Sun Ra Arkestra member in the late 1950s, Fielder cofounded the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), played on Roscoe Mitchell’s 1966 touchstone Sound, and, in recent years, teamed with double bassist Damon … Read More “Dopolarians: Garden Party (Mahakala)”

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Daniel Carter/William Parker/Matthew Shipp: Seraphic Light (AUM Fidelity)

This is a live recording of a concert that woodwind/brass virtuoso Daniel Carter, bassist William Parker, and pianist Matthew Shipp gave at Tufts University in April of 2017. It was the culminating event of a program titled “Art, Race, and Politics in America,” which also included a screening of filmmaker Edward O. Bland’s 1959 documentary … Read More “Daniel Carter/William Parker/Matthew Shipp: Seraphic Light (AUM Fidelity)”

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William Parker Quartets: Meditation/Resurrection (AUM Fidelity)

It’s hard to pick a favorite William Parker outfit. Everything he touches is magic, from his giant orchestras to his solo outings. But his quartets might be his ideal venues: There’s enough structure that the music can’t be called free jazz, and there’s enough leeway to let democracy command the performance. Last October, Parker took … Read More “William Parker Quartets: Meditation/Resurrection (AUM Fidelity)”

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William Parker Ft. Lisa Sokolov and Cooper-Moore: Stan’s Hat Flapping in the Wind

Since 1994, bassist-composer William Parker has been writing Stan’s Hat Flapping in the Wind, an original musical about a New Mexico couple chosen to save creation by learning to play music “made from the tears of God.” Parker has thus far written more than 60 songs for the production, and on this collection 19 of … Read More “William Parker Ft. Lisa Sokolov and Cooper-Moore: Stan’s Hat Flapping in the Wind”

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William Parker/Raining on the Moon: Great Spirit

When bassist William Parker’s group Raining on the Moon released its 2007 album Corn Meal Dance, the sextet left another album’s worth of material on the table. Parker had considered issuing a two-disc album at the time but ultimately went with one. Eight years later, on Great Spirit, we get the rest of the session. … Read More “William Parker/Raining on the Moon: Great Spirit”

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William Parker: For Those Who Are, Still

Bassist, composer and bandleader William Parker is a bottomless well of creativity, and his endless run of superb recordings continues with For Those Who Are, Still, a three-disc box of four previously unissued long-form works, one of them dating back 15 years. The four pieces, by four ensembles, are very different from one another; the … Read More “William Parker: For Those Who Are, Still”

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William Parker: Wood Flute Songs: Anthology/Live 2006-2012

What a wry name. These aren’t wood flute songs. Instead, this eight-CD live box is a magnificent document that captures one of jazz’s greatest, most prolific and most versatile bandleaders at the height of his powers, demonstrating a stunning range of creativity with a superb cast of musicians. Wood Flute Songs is a showcase for … Read More “William Parker: Wood Flute Songs: Anthology/Live 2006-2012”

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