EVAN PARKER - Saxophone Solos + Monoceros (1975-1978) 2 Albums | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Evan Parker- Saxophone Solos 

(1975-1994, Chronoscope Records – CPE2002-2)

What can be said about these historic recordings is limited, but that's because, while it's true that music can be and most often is beyond language (at least the English language) to describe, these solos are for the most part beyond the reach of even music to describe. Evan Parker has proven time and again his unwillingness to tread any path traveled before him (notice his typically European comments about American Eric Dolphy in the liner notes, where he concedes a point to an interviewer and then has to better it by claiming his own attempt at superiority -- yeah, it's whiny and one hopes he's matured in this way), and these solos from 1975 should prove that he has cut down the entire forest of trees that the instruction manuals for soprano saxophone were made from. These pieces are about sonic texture, tonality and atonality, and why they're both the same thing, and they reveal also the mechanical possibilities for the instrument that weren't even considered before he came along -- things like playing in all three registers of the instrument at the same time. There are two sets of pieces here, all of them called "Aerobatics" and then numbered one through 14. The first four were recorded during a live concert earlier in the year and the last ten at a studio in Berlin. Given what's on the studio set, it would appear as if the live gig inspired further exploration and new ideas as a result, because there is a marked difference in just a few months in the depth and breadth of Parker's ability to voice his ideas. The latter pieces all have quotes from Krapp's Last Tape, a play by Samuel Beckett, one of Parker's favorite writers. And that should come as no surprise; the sense of humor and irony in Parker's music is inseparable from his techniques. These early recordings of Parker's solo performances pointed the way for a body of music that is singular in its achievement, and stand the test of time on their own as brilliant, investigative, and provocative works of a musical firebrand.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-

Tracklist:
1    Aerobatics 1 16:28
2    Aerobatics 2 6:35
3    Aerobatics 3 14:31
4    Aerobatics 4 3:48    
5    Aerobatics 5 7:05
6    Aerobatics 6 4:04
7    Aerobatics 7 1:49
8    Aerobatics 8 5:33
9    Aerobatics 9 2:27
10   Aerobatics 11 6:08
11   Aerobatics 12 0:11
12   Aerobatics 13 3:39
13   Aerobatics 14 6:57
Evan Parker - Composer, Producer, Sax (Soprano)  

 Evan Parker - Monoceros
(1978-2015, psi – psi 15.01)

Evan Parker is a virtuosic solo improviser, and these soprano saxophone recordings, made in England in 1978, are perhaps the next best thing to seeing him perform live. Monoceros is divided into four parts, but each is of comparable sonic quality. Parker uses rapid tonguing techniques and circular breathing to create a sound all his own, marked by the simultaneous intonation of multiple notes. When one listens to Evan Parker, one hears a note as well as all the residual tones around it; each breath ends up sounding like a battle between the different registers of the horn. At various times, Parker's saxophone sounds like dolphin speech, electronic tape squeals, or human murmurs; namely, anything but what it actually is. His language on the instrument is essential listening for anyone interested in acoustic experimental music. The Chronoscope CD version of Monoceros distinguishes itself from other Parker solo recitals by its relatively early recording date, excellent sound quality, and probing, anecdotal liner notes courtesy of Steve Lake. Henry M. Shteamer
Tracklist :
1    Monoceros 1    21:36
2    Monoceros 2    5:15
3    Monoceros 3    9:02
4    Monoceros 4    4:09
Soprano Saxophone – Evan Parker