William Parker (musician)
William Parker | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born |
New York City, New York, USA | January 10, 1952
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, poet, festival organizer |
Instruments | Double bass |
Years active | 1970s–present |
Website | musicofwilliamparker.com |
William Parker (born January 10, 1952) is an American free jazz double bassist, multi-instrumentalist, poet and composer.
Biography
Parker was born in the Bronx, New York City. He was not formally trained as a classical player, though he did study with Jimmy Garrison, Richard Davis, and Wilbur Ware and learned the tradition. Parker is one of few jazz bassists who frequently plays arco. He also plays several other instruments from around the world, including the West African kora.
While Parker has been active since the early 1970s; he has had a higher public profile since the early 1990s. He is a prominent and influential musician in the New York City experimental jazz scene,[1] and has regularly appeared at music festivals around the world, including the Guelph Jazz Festival, in southern Ontario.
Parker first came to public attention with pianist Cecil Taylor. He has long been a member of saxophonist David S. Ware's quartet and in Peter Brötzmann's groups. Parker also played with various other groups that included Paul Murphy (who would fill in for Philly Joe Jones) whenever he was in town shopping for new drum sticks.
He is a member of the cooperative Other Dimensions In Music. Together with his wife, Patricia Nicholson Parker, he organizes the annual Vision Festival in New York City.
The album Sound Unity by the William Parker Quartet was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005. His August 2008 CD Double Sunrise over Neptune was listed as one of the top 10 2008 (through end of August) Jazz CDs at Amazon.[2] Also released in 2008, Petit Oiseau was chosen as one of the best jazz disks of 2008 by The Wall Street Journal,[3] the BBC's Radio Three,[4] The Village Voice,[5] and PopMatters.[6]
In 2006, Parker was awarded the Resounding Vision Award from Nameless Sound. In March 2007, William Parker's book, Who Owns Music?, was published by buddy's knife jazzedition in Cologne, Germany. Who Owns Music? assembles his political thoughts, poems, and musicological essays. In June 2011, Parker's second book, Conversations, a collection of interviews with notable free jazz musicians and forward thinkers, mainly from the African-American community, was published by Rogue Art.[7]
Discography
As leader
- Through Acceptance of the Mystery Peace (Centering, 1981)
- Flowers Grow in My Room (Centering, 1994)
- In Order to Survive (Black Saint, 1995) - with In Order to Survive
- Testimony (Zero In, 1995) - solo
- Compassion Seizes Bed-Stuy (Homestead, 1996) - with In Order to Survive
- Sunrise in the Tone World (AUM Fidelity, 1997) - with Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra
- Lifting the Sanctions (No More, 1997)
- Mass for the Healing of the World (Black Saint, 1998 [2004]) - with the Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra
- Zen Mountains/Zen Streets: A Duet For Poet & Improvised Bass (Boxholder, 1998)
- The Peach Orchard (AUM Fidelity, 1998) - with In Order to Survive
- Posium Pendasem (FMP, 1999) - In Order to Survive
- Fractured Dimensions (FMP, 1999 [2003])
- Mayor of Punkville (AUM Fidelity, 2000) - with the Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra
- Painter's Spring (Thirsty Ear, 2000) - with Hamid Drake & Daniel Carter
- Piercing the Veil (AUM Fidelity, 2000) - with Hamid Drake
- O'Neal's Porch (AUM Fidelity, 2000)
- Song Cycle (Boxholder, 2001)
- Bob's Pink Cadillac (Eremite, 2002) - Clarinet Trio
- The Last Dances (Ayler Records, 2002 [2007]) - with Hamid Drake & Anders Gahnold
- Raincoat in the River (Eremite, 2002) - with the Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra
- ... and William Danced (Ayler Records, 2002)
- Raining on the Moon (Thirsty Ear, 2002)
- Eloping with the Sun (Riti, 2003) - with Joe Morris & Hamid Drake
- Scrapbook (Thirsty Ear, 2003) - Violin Trio
- Spontaneous (Splasc(H), 2003) - with the Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra
- Luc's Lantern (Thirsty Ear, 2004 [2005])
- Requiem (Splasc(H), 2004 [2006]) - Bass Quartet with Charles Gayle
- Sound Unity (AUM Fidelity, 2005)
- Long Hidden: The Olmec Series (AUM Fidelity, 2006)
- For Percy Heath (Victo, 2006) - with the Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra
- Alphaville Suite (RogueArt, 2007)
- The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield (Rai Trade, 2007) - with the Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra
- Summer Snow (AUM Fidelity, 2007) - with Hamid Drake
- Corn Meal Dance (AUM Fidelity, 2007) - with Raining on the Moon
- Great Spirit (AUM Fidelity, 2007 [2015]) - with Raining on the Moon
- Double Sunrise Over Neptune (AUM Fidelity, 2007)
- Petit Oiseau (AUM Fidelity, 2008)
- Beyond Quantum (Tzadik, 2008) - with Anthony Braxton and Milford Graves
- Winter Sun Crying (NEOS Jazz, 2009 [2011]) - with the ICI Ensemble
- Tender Exploration (Jazzwerkstatt, 2010 [2013]) - with Hamid Drake & Conny Bauer
- Prism (Ultramarine, 2010) - with Ninni Morgia
- I Plan to Stay a Believer (AUM Fidelity, 2010) - with the Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra
- Uncle Joe's Spirit House (Centering, 2010) - William Parker Organ Quartet
- Essence of Ellington (Centering, 2012) - with the Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra
- Centering. Unreleased Early Recordings 1976-1987 (No Business, 2012)
- Live In Wroclove (ForTune, 2013)
- Wood Flute Songs (AUM Fidelity, 2013)
- For Those Who Are, Still (AUM Fidelity, 2015)
- To Roy (Intakt, 2015) - with Oliver Lake
As sideman
With Fred Anderson
- 2 Days in April (Eremite, 2000)
- Blue Winter (Eremite, 2005)
With Derek Bailey and John Zorn
- Harras (Avant, 1993)
With Billy Bang
- The Fire from Within (Soul Note, 1981)
- Live at Carlos 1 (Soul Note, 1984)
- Medicine Buddha (No Business, 2009 [2014])
With Albert Beger
- Evolving Silence, Vol. 1 (2005)
- Evolving Silence, Vol. 2 (2006)
With Peter Brötzmann
- Sacred Scrape, Secret Response (Rastascan, 1994)
- Nothung (In Tone Music, 2002)
- Never Too Late But Always Too Early (Eremite, 2003)
- The Bishop's Move (Les Disques Victo, 2004)
With Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet
- Stone/Water (Okka Disk, 2002)
- Short Visit To Nowhere (Okka Disk, 2002)
- Broken English (Okka Disk, 2002)
With Rob Brown
- Breath Rhyme (Silkheart Records, 1990)
- High Wire (Soul Note, 1996)
- Round the Bend (Bleu Regard, 2002)
- The Big Picture (Marge, 2004)
- Crown Trunk Root Funk (AUM Fidelity, 2008)
With Roy Campbell, Joe McPhee & Warren Smith
With Daniel Carter
- The Dream (577 Records, 2006)
With Gerald Cleaver and Craig Taborn
- Farmers by Nature (AUM Fidelity, 2009)
- Out of This World's Distortions (AUM Fidelity, 2011)
- Love and Ghosts (AUM Fidelity, 2014)
With 'Die Like A Dog' Quartet
- Die Like a Dog: Fragments of Music, Life and Death of Albert Ayler (FMP, 1994)
- Close Up (FMP, 1994 [2011])
- Little Birds Have Fast Hearts, No. 1 (FMP, 1998)
- Little Birds Have Fast Hearts, No. 2 (FMP, 1999)
- From Valley to Valley (Eremite, 1999)
- Aoyama Crows (FMP, 2002)
With Bill Dixon
- Thoughts (Soul Note, 1985 [1987])
- Vade Mecum (Soul Note, 1994)
- Vade Mecum II (Soul Note, 1994)
With Charles Gayle
- Touchin' on Trane (FMP, 1991 [1993])
- Translations (Silkheart, 1993)
- Raining Fire (Silkheart, 1993)
- Blue Shadows (Silkheart, 1993 [2008])
- More Live at the Knitting Factory (Knitting Factory, 1993)
- Consecration (Black Saint, 1993)
- Daily Bread (Black Saint, 1995)
With Frode Gjerstad
- Seeing New York From The Ear (Cadence Jazz Records, 1996)
- Remember To Forget (Circulasione Totale, 1998)
- Ultima (Cadence Jazz Records, 1999)
- The Other Side (Ayler Records, 2006)
- On Reade Street (FMR Records, 2008)
With Alan Glover
- Kings Of Infinite Space (Omolade Music 2006)
- The Juice Quartet Archives (Omolade Music 2010)
With Wayne Horvitz
- Some Order, Long Understood (Black Saint, 1982)
With Kidd Jordan
- Palm Of Soul (AUM Fidelity, 2006)
With Gianni Lenoci
- Secret Garden (Silta)
With Jimmy Lyons
- Wee Sneezawee (Black Saint, 1983)
With Raphe Malik
- Last Set: Live at the 1369 Jazz Club (Boxholder, 2004)
- ConSequences (Eremite, 1999)
- Companions (Eremite, 2002)
With Michael Marcus
- Under The Wire (Enja, 1990)
With Thollem McDonas & Nels Cline
- The Gowanus Session (Porter, 2012)
With Roscoe Mitchell
- This Dance Is for Steve McCall (Black Saint, 1993)
- Nine to Get Ready (ECM, 1997)
With Jemeel Moondoc
- First Feeding (Muntu, 1977)
- The Evening of the Blue Men (Muntu, 1979)
- Konstanze's Delight (Soul Note, 1983)
- Nostalgia in Times Square (Soul Note, 1986)
- New World Pygmies (Eremite, 1999)
- New World Pygmies vol. 2 (Eremite, 2002)
- Live at Glenn Miller Café Vol 1 (Ayler, 2002)
- Live in Paris (Cadence, 2003)
With Joe Morris
- Illuminate (Leo, 1995)
- Elsewhere (Homestead, 1996)
- Invisible Weave (No More, 1997)
- Altitude (AUM Fidelity, 2012)
With Other Dimensions In Music
- Other Dimensions In Music (Silkheart, 1990)
- Now! (Aum Fidelity, 1998)
- Time Is of the Essence Is Beyond Time (Aum Fidelity, 2000)
- Live at the Sunset (Marge, 2007)
- Kaiso Stories (Silkheart, 2011)
With Ivo Perelman
- Cama de Terra (Homestead, 1996)
- En Adir (Music & Arts, 1997)
- Sound Hierarchy (Music & Arts, 1997)
- Serendipity (Leo, 2013)
- Book of Sound (Leo, 2014)
With Matthew Shipp
- Points (Silkheart, 1992)
- Circular Temple (Quinton, 1992)
- Zo (Rise, 1994)
- Critical Mass (2.13.61, 1995)
- Prism (Brinkman, 1996)
- The Flow of X (2.13.61, 1997)
- By the Law of Music (HatART, 1997)
- The Multiplication Table (hatOLOGY, 1998)
- Strata (hatOLOGY, 1998)
- DNA (Thirsty Ear, 1999)
- Magnetism (Bleu Regard, 1999)
- Pastoral Composure (Thirsty Ear, 2000)
- Expansion, Power, Release (hatOLOGY, 2001)
- New Orbit (Thirsty Ear, 2001)
- Equilibrium (Thirsty Ear, 2003)
- Our Lady of the Flowers (RogueArt, 2015)
With Steve Swell
- Swimming in a Galaxy of Goodwill and Sorrow (RogueArt, 2007)
With Cecil Taylor
- The Eighth (HatHut, 1986)
- Winged Serpent (Sliding Quadrants) (Soul Note, 1987)
- Olu Iwa (Soul Note, 1987)
- Live in Bologna (Leo, 1987)
- Live in Vienna (Leo, 1987)
- Tzotzil/Mummers/Tzotzil (Leo, 1988)
- Alms/Tiergarten (Spree) (FMP, 1988)
- In Florescence (A&M, 1989)
- Looking (Berlin Version) Corona (FMP, 1989)
- Looking (Berlin Version) The Feel Trio (FMP, 1989)
- Celebrated Blazons (FMP, 1990)
- 2 Ts for a Lovely T, (Codanza Records, 1990 [2002])
With David S Ware
- Passage to Music (Silkheart 1988)
- Great Bliss, Vol. 1 (Silkheart 1991)
- Great Bliss, Vol. 2 (Silkheart 1991)
- Flight of I (DIW 1992)
- Third Ear Recitation (DIW 1992)
- Earthquation (DIW 1994)
- Cryptology (Homestead 1995)
- Oblations and Blessings (Silkheart, 1996)
- DAO (Homestead 1996)
- Godspelized (DIW, 1996)
- Wisdom of Uncertainty (AUM Fidelity, 1997)
- Go See the World (Columbia, 1998)
- Surrendered (Columbia, 2000)
- Corridors & Parallels (AUM Fidelity, 2001)
- Freedom Suite (AUM Fidelity, 2002)
- Threads (Thirsty Ear, 2003)
- Live in the World (Thirsty Ear, 2004)
- BalladWare (Thirsty Ear, 1999 [2006])
- Renunciation (AUM Fidelity, 2007)
- Live in Vilnius (NoBusiness Records 2007)
- Shakti (AUM Fidelity, 2009)
- Onecept (AUM Fidelity, 2009)
- Planetary Unknown (AUM 2010)
- Live at Jazzfestival Saalfelden 2011 (AUM 2011)
Books
- Who Owns Music? (buddy's knife jazzedition, 2007)
- Conversations (RogueArt, 2010)
Films
- 2001 - Inside Out in the Open (2001). Directed by Alan Roth. Asymmetric Pictures. Distributed by Third World Newsreel.
References
- ↑ Blumenfeld, Larry (2002-05-26). "Music; A Father to the Followers of Free Jazz". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
Mr. Parker and his wife, the dancer Patricia Nicholson, began the [Vision Festival] seven years ago. Yet his influence runs much deeper than the recording studio or the bandstand. He is something of a father figure, dispensing life lessons as well as wisdom about musical technique.
delete character in|quote=
at position 67 (help) - ↑ "Best Jazz of 2008". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2012-06-25.
- ↑ Blumenfeld, Larry (2008-12-27). "The Best Musicians Span Continents, Generations, by Larry Blumenfeld". Online.wsj.com. Retrieved 2012-06-25.
- ↑ "Jazz on 3, Best Albums of the Year". Bbc.co.uk. 2008-12-22. Retrieved 2012-06-25.
- ↑ Francis Davis (2008-12-31). "2008 ''Voice'' Jazz Poll Winners". Villagevoice.com. Retrieved 2012-06-25.
- ↑ Layman, Will. "The Best Jazz of 2008, by Will Layman". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2012-06-25.
- ↑ "William Parker Conversations". Retrieved 25 January 2012.
External links
- A Sessionography
- FMP releases
- William Parker's book "who owns music?" at www.buddysknife.de
- 38 minute mp3 interview
- Review of "Double Sunrise Over Neptune" (2008)
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