Friday, February 16, 2007

Back to the Roots (of my obsession?)

I figured it was about time to post some music that is in my humble opinion truly amazing. There is also a story behind this one as well. Right around 2001, I finally had enough money to actually purchase my own computer (a Mac by the way). A little bit after that I actually was connected to the Internet and started to enjoy all of the streaming radio stations I could find on iTunes. One day was listening to DI.fm, and suddenly a track from Evan Parker and Eddie Prevost came on. At the time, I had never heard of either one (I was "safe" in the realm of Mingus, Ornette and Coltrane) and I just stopped what I was doing at the time and listened. I can't say I was immediately of the mindset of "Wow, that is just the best stuff I have ever heard!," but I was really floored. I had never heard anything like they were playing, with its mysteriousness and creative power. When the track finally finished, all I could think of was how I wished I could have heard it again--and soon! All thanks for the track information streamed along with the station--I immediately wrote it down and began my first real search for a hard-to-find album. I ended up finding a used copy on eBay for about 15 bucks if I remember correctly, but that whole double album completely changed my outlook on music. I still have the postcard photo of Parker with his soprano that came with the liner notes pinned to my fridge. None of my friends could understand what I was so excited about (I wasn't even sure if I knew either, or for that matter still know...), but that album set off something in me that has yet to be quenched. Even though I have found other albums that I like perhaps even better from Parker (still haven't heard anything else by Prevost), this set still gives me the chills. To each their own, but try listening to this by yourself when you are otherwise unoccupied and in an introspective frame of mind. I'm not saying you are going to like it, but give it a chance and you never know what might happen...
J-Bombay



Most Materiall
Evan Parker, saxophones; Eddie Prévost, percussion
128 Rate AAC Files
(Read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Audio_Coding if this disappoints you)

Disc 1:

Double truth (of reason and revelation) (19.51)
Knowledge is power (13.36)
Rejecting simple enumeration (13.46)
That more might have been done, or sooner (29.00)

Disc 2:
Nil novum (12.01)
Skill gave rise to chance, and chance to skill (09.26)
Not so much for the sake of arguing as for the sake of living (12.24)
Let us attend to present business (11.19)
Chastise me, but listen (16.42)

Recorded at Gateway Studios, Kingston, England on 23 February 1997 (CD A and B1) and 13 April 1997 (other tracks).
Front cover painting (reproduced above) Djebel nefousa by Brenda Mayo, 1993.

(Links Removed)

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

ah wonderful, I can see how you would be completely taken with this if you think a certain way...

for a similarly mind-altering experience try either Mars Song (E.P. and Sainkho Namtchylak [spelling...]), or Lines Burnt in Light (EP solo)

J-Bombay said...

Glad to hear that you like it! I have the Mars Song album as well as Amulet and those are definitely pretty unique as well. Sainkho's kooky Tuvan singing mixing in and out of the reeds is a wild experience. The lines definitely blur.
About the Lines Burnt in Light, I have heard great things about it but haven't been able to find a copy. I am a huge EP solo fan (I even managed to track down copies of Monoceros and Saxaphone Solos--truly innovative stuff!). My other favorite Parkers besideds this one are Synergetics: Phonomanie III (odd mix of instruments, including some sweet bagpipe stuff to start it all off), his birthday concert album, and also Time Will Tell (Paul Bley's album). Those are just the ones that I can think of off of the top of my head. His stuff really seems to really suck you in. An amazing musician! Now if only he would record some more on tenor...

1009 said...

(forgive me if you're already familiar, but) parker has an album of solo tenor called *chicago solo*. it's another mid-90s set, on okkadisk i believe (and pretty widely available, i think). i haven't listened to it that much (more due to time constraints than anything else), but it is typical parker (i.e. brilliant, endlessly inventive, etc.).

Anonymous said...

yeah the Lines Burnt in Light might be a little hard to get hold of (not sure how I would have got it if he hadn't sent it to me...) although of course there's always the internet...

Boromir said...

Here's something I think you all might like, from 1971:-

Tony Oxley - Ichnos

Tony Oxley: percussion
Evan Parker:tenor and soprano sax
Kenny Wheeler: Trumpet
Derek Bailey: Guitar
Paul Rutherford: Trombone
Barry Guy: Bass

http://rapidshare.com/files/17923157/Ichnos.rar.html

Boromir said...

Here's another Tony Oxley recording:-

Tony Oxley - 4 Compositions for sextet 1970 @192 kbps

Tony Oxley: drums
Evan Parker: t/s and s/s
Kenny Wheeler: tp
Paul Rutherford: tb
Derek Bailey: guitar
Jeff Clyne: bass

Boromir said...

OOps. Memory not what it once was. Here's the link

http://rapidshare.com/files/18193503/TOComps.rar.html

Boromir said...

And yet another Oxley. From 1969, "Baptised Traveller". Personnel same as on "4 Compositions" with the exception of Jeff Clyne for Barry Guy on bass. Of the three, this is my favourite - I particularly like Kenny Wheeler's trumpet.

http://rapidshare.com/files/18231793/Traveller.rar.html

Anonymous said...

boromir & j-bombay

thanks so much for these new posts. have never heard the last two Oxleys here. brillant stuff. look forward to seeing what occurs here.

Anonymous said...

re-post? please!

Oh, to have been a fly on this wall...

Oh, to have been a fly on this wall...
For those of you who don't know, this is a photo of Peter Brotzmann, Evan Parker and Anthony Braxton, reed gods incarnate.