Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta Cooper Moore. Mostrar todas las entradas
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta Cooper Moore. Mostrar todas las entradas

martes, 16 de junio de 2009

William Parker / In Order To Survive - The Peach Orchard (1997-1998)



The Peach Orchard is a two-CD set showcasing bassist William Parker's work with an ensemble consisting of composer/instrument maker/pianist Cooper Moore (who limits his involvement in music to Parker's groups), improvisational saxophonist, Rob Brown and percussionist extraordinaire Susie Ibarra (Assif Tsahar, Matthew Shipp Trio, Davis S. Ware Quartet, One World Ensemble). This cream of the New York, contemporary, free jazz scene veers from such challenging, busy compositions as the explosive first track "Thoth" to such reflective pieces as "Moholo," basically a study in rhythmic intricacy featuring a five-minute introduction led by Ibarra to the 19-minute piece. Brown is eloquent and lyrical as he sails up and down scales through "Three Clay Pots." The title track is inspired by the devastation of a cherished Navaho orchard by an oppressive U.S. Army. The lengthy piece (20:45) is the quartet's collage of hostility and deep sadness. Disc Two opens with the profound and eerie "Posium Pendasem #3." Assif Tsahar joins the group on bass clarinet for the melancholy, piano-led piece. The beautiful mystery of autumnal changes are explored in "Leaf Dance," at once both bittersweet (Brown's lines) and playful (Cooper Brown). A traditional jazz melody acts as bookends for a series of Latin, common-time, and extemporaneous, thematic variations in "Theme For Pelikan." The band's theme, "In Order to Survive," a lively, rollicking and urgent composition fueled by the growing intricacy of Cooper Brown's part closes this two-disc set that offers new discoveries upon every listen.
(Thomas Schulte)

DISC 1
1. Thot 14.12
2. Moholo 18.51
3. Three Clay Pots 15.24
4. The Peach Orchard 20.45

DISC 2
5. Posium Pendasem #3 11.36
6. Leaf Dance 25.28
7. Theme From Pelikan 17.10
8. In Order To Survive 12.24



William Parker (bass); Cooper-Moore (piano); Rob Brown (alto sax); Susie Ibarra (drums);
+ guest on track 5,

Assif Tsahar (bass clarinet)



Recorded by Alen Hadzi Stefanov
1, 4: Context / NYC on March 20, 1998
2, 3, 8: Knitting Factory / NYC on July 2, 1997
6, 7: Alterknit / NYC on February 7, 1997
5: Context / NYC on March 21, 1998

miércoles, 20 de mayo de 2009

William Parker - In Order To Survive (1993) [Black Saint]




Bassist William Parker's survival techniques demand liberty and solos for all. The members of this sextet feed off one another's energy, filling their collective plate with counterpoint, and expressing music in colors and feelings spontaneously derived from thematic motifs. Parker, a phenomenal theoretical and technical improviser, has pianist Cooper Moore, drummer Denis Charles, trumpeter Lewis Barnes, trombonist Grachan Moncur III, and alto saxophonist Rob Brown in tow. Three of these pieces were recorded live at Club Roulette in N.Y.C., the fourth at the Knitting Factory. Clocking in at nearly 40 minutes, "Testimony of No Future" develops from the piano-bass-drums trio's bop swing rhythms that set up a three-note pattern that the horns then state and extrapolate on with counterpoint. This leads into extended solo fare from everyone -- simple and direct, easy to follow, yet dense and saturated. The beautiful "Anast in Crisis, Mouth Full of Fresh Cut Flowers" has Moore's spiritual lines influencing Brown's alto greatly, with Moncur chiming in for a lucid, free association for seven minutes, again based on three notes. "Testimony of the Stir Pot" has thematic nuances that grow subtler over 20 minutes while horn lines flow parallel to Moore's lightning-quick runs. "The Square Sun," from the Knitting Factory session, features Barnes' rubato-style trumpet (which shows his unique blend of jazz past and present); Moore's haunting, dancing figures; percussionist Jackson Krall's wisp-of-smoke accents; and Parker's mouse-squeak bowed bass. Some tour de force music is found here, which makes one wonder if these performances wouldn't have yielded another CD or three from this band of extraordinary avant-gardists. Highly recommended for those who take their freedoms seriously.

1. Testimony of No Future (38:47)
2. Anast In Crisis Mouth Full of Fresh Cut Flowers (6:55)
3. Testimony of The Stir Pot (20:07)
4. The Square Sun (6:10)

William Parker: bass/composer, Grachan Moncur III: trombone, Rob Brown: alto sax, Lewis Barnes: trumpet, Cooper-Moore: piano, Denis Charles: drums #1-3, Jackson Krall: Percussions #4


Recorded 1-3# Live at Roulette, NYC - April 11, 1993
Recorded 4# Live at the Knitting Factory, NYC - June 28, 1993.