PARKER | HASLAM | EDWARDS - Parker/Haslam/Edwards (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 This CD is billed as a trio, but the only time Evan Parker, George Haslam, and John Edwards perform together is during the last 14 minutes. A one-off event, the concert they gave in Oxford on September 3, 2000, consisted of solos and duets, plus the aforementioned trio session. It was the first time the three of them met on-stage (for those who value the "premiere factor"). The album opens with two solos by Haslam, one on baritone saxophone, the other on tárogató, a Hungarian single-reed instrument. It is followed by a soprano saxophone solo by Parker. One can measure the distance between the two players: Haslam's round, polished sound and jazzy inflections are miles apart from his colleague's screechy cycles of notes (by the way, the latter released much better solos three months earlier on Lines Burnt in Light). The longest piece, 18 minutes, is a duet between soprano sax and double bass. Like the concluding trio, it features interesting moments, including good solo spots for Edwards. Nevertheless, this Parker Haslam Edwards holds no magic moment worth placing it on your must-have list. For all three players involved, it was a very average performance. The shaky artwork and design (the Slam label can definitely do better) don't help. François Couture  
Tracklist :
1    Solo For Baritone Saxophone 9:41
Baritone Saxophone – George Haslam
Composed By – Haslam
2    Solo For Tarogato 5:18
Composed By – Haslam
Tárogató – George Haslam
3    Solo For Soprano Saxophone 15:01
Composed By – Parker
Soprano Saxophone – Evan Parker
4    Solo For Double Bass 10:33
Composed By – Edwards
Double Bass – John Edwards
5    Duet For Saxophone And Bass 18:18
Composed By – Parker, Edwards
Double Bass – John Edwards
Tenor Saxophone – Evan Parker
6    Trio For Two Saxophones And Bass 14:10
Baritone Saxophone – George Haslam
Composed By – Parker, Haslam, Edwards
Double Bass – John Edwards
Soprano Saxophone – Evan Parker

EVAN PARKER - Strings With Evan Parker (2001) 3CD SET | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This project is credited to Evan Parker's name for convenience, but also because he instigated it. In January 1997, the saxophonist invited a couple dozen improvisers to the studio to perform some large-scale pieces (the last track comes from this session). A year later, he reiterated the invitation, but this time only to a handful of string instruments and electronics players. Nine turned up, all from the British free improv scene. Strings With Evan Parker, a three-disc set, contains the whole session. Parker gave very basic instructions and joined in on soprano saxophone only on about one-third of the music performed that day. The set starts with short pieces ("The Sitting on the Roof Series," a warm opener), then moves to middle-length improvs. The 28-minute "Double Headed Serpent" is a dronelike piece on which Parker later overdubbed a solo -- a conclusive experiment. Disc two features mostly subgroup pieces. Each participant was given the chance to choose a number of players to lead a short improvisation. Results vary but are all interesting. Disc three contains another half-hour long improv with Parker performing with the group in real time. "Single Headed Serpent" is the same take as "Doubled Headed Serpent," minus the overdubbed solo. This experiment with a string ensemble is much more conclusive than the one Parker led with the TonArt Ensemble (released as Brot & Honig on True Muze, 2000). The music follows the vein of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble or the London Improvisers Orchestra (for a more contemporaneous reference). But it seems the album would have had more punch if limited to a two-CD set by omitting "Single Headed Serpent" (it feels redundant), "Flying Spark," and the weaker "The Ghost Series." The price tag accompanying this set makes it an item for fans only. François Couture  
Tracklist :
1-1    The Sitting On The Roof Series 1    6:07
1-2    The Sitting On The Roof Series 2    5:54
1-3    The Sitting On The Roof Series 3    3:37
1-4    Laughing In The House    11:35
1-5    Another Fire Dril    16:31
1-6    Double Headed Serpent    28:04
2-1    The Ghost Series 1: (Pizzicato)    5:15
2-2    The Ghost Series 2: (Pizzicato)    4:12
2-3    The Ghost Series 3: (Arco)    6:44
2-4    Sub-Group MM 1    2:52
2-5    Sub-Group MM 2    3:03
2-6    Sub-Group RD    3:47
2-7    Sub-Group MW    5:02
2-8    Sub-Group PC    6:28
2-9    Sub-Group PD    2:50
2-10    Sub-Group HD    2:47
2-11    Sub-Group JR    5:54
2-12    Sub-Group JE    3:05
2-13    Sub-Group KM    3:47
3-1    The Spider's Web    29:51
3-2    Single Headed Serpent    28:04
3-3    Flying Spark 5:38
Violin – Philipp Wachsmann, Susanna Ferrar
Credits :
Bouzouki, Guitar, Electronics – Peter Cusack
Cello – Marcio Mattos, Mark Wastell
Double Bass – John Edwards
Guitar – John Russell
Harp – Rhodri Davies
Soprano Saxophone – Evan Parker (pistas: 1-6, 2-10 to 2-13, 3-1)
Strings, Performer [Springs], Electronics – Hugh Davies
Violin – Phil Durrant
Violin, Electronics – Kaffe Matthews   

EVAN PARKER - Free Zone Appleby 2002 + Free Zone Appleby 2003 (2003-2004) 3CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Free Zone Appleby 2002
(2003, psi – psi 03.02/3) 2CD
This double-CD set documents the "Free Zone" feature of the 2002 Appleby Jazz Festival. All these performances were captured live at the acoustically rich St. Michael's Church in Appleby (England). A pool of eight free improvisers, some well-known (Evan Parker, Philipp Wachsmann, Marcio Mattos, John Edwards, Mark Sanders) and others still cruelly under-recorded (Neil Metcalfe, John Rangecroft, Sylvia Hallett), spontaneously combine their skills in a series of ad hoc duets, trios, quartets, and a final octet. It is not said if the pieces are presented in the order of performance, but considering the symmetry with which each disc unfolds, one guesses that some editing and sequencing came into play to make the listening experience more pleasurable. Each CD starts with a solo performance: Hallett's captivating voice-and-violin dirge "Whitethroat" and Edwards' bass solo "Pin Drop." Then the groups gradually grow larger. With a total duration of over 150 minutes, Free Zone Appleby 2002 is a generous set, too generous for a single sitting (the sequencing of the discs as separate entities comes in handy), and highlights abound. But the two outstanding pieces are provided by the rhythm section (using the term oh so loosely) of Edwards and Sanders as they engage with Rangecroft in "Subject Matters" and Hallett in "Phantoms." They gracefully adapt their playing to these two very different musicians -- Rangecroft being a more pragmatic, intellectual player, while Hallett operates on a more atavistic or spiritual level. After such focused music, "Morsman Octet" comes as a light disappointment: the group has a hard time getting the music to flow effortlessly. But that's hardly a turnoff, only a somehow anticlimactic finale. François Couture  
Tracklist :
1-1    Gong (For Phil Seamen)    0:16
1-2    Whitethroat    17:17
1-3    Re Eden    9:53
1-4    Subject Matters    16:31
1-5    Dunsany    14:06
1-6    Ferber String Quartet    20:09
2-1    Pin Drop    15:03
2-2    Sense    9:19
2-3    Phantoms    10:56
2-4    Pica Pica    7:28
2-5    Mgt4all    15:08
2-6    Morsman Octet    16:16
Credits :
Bass – John Edwards (pistas: 1-4, 1-6, 2-1, 2-3, 2-6)
Cello – Marcio Mattos (pistas: 1-5, 1-6, 2-4 to 2-6)
Clarinet – John Rangecroft (pistas: 1-3 to 1-5, 2-6)
Flute – Neil Metcalfe (pistas: 1-5, 2-2, 2-5, 2-6)
Painting [Paintings] – Phil Morsman
Percussion – Mark Sanders (pistas: 1-4, 2-3, 2-5, 2-6)
Soprano Saxophone – Evan Parker (pistas: 1-1, 1-3, 2-6)
Violin, Electronics – Philipp Wachsmann (pistas: 1-6, 2-2, 2-6)
Violin, Voice, Sarangi – Sylvia Hallett (pistas: 1-2, 1-5, 1-6, 2-3 to 2-6)

Free Zone Appleby 2003
(2004, psi – psi 04.05)
This release from PSI Records has all the markings of its affiliated and prestigious Emanem label: a stable of (mostly) London-based free-style improvisers who are associated with Emanem; extraordinary musicianship, with all the music freely improvised; and very good recording fidelity. Taken from the Appleby Jazz Festival in 2003, the collection centers around the string quartet of bassist John Edwards, violinists Sylvia Hallett and Philipp Wachsmann, and cellist Marcio Mattos, with eight musicians in the aggregate participating, including the well-known Evan Parker and Kenny Wheeler. The groups are varied, so that there are a couple of duos, and various quartets and quintets. While the quality of the performances is uniformly high, and there are wonderful moments almost everywhere, it is perhaps surprising that the best tracks (such as "S4-1"), that is, those that challenge the listener the most and contain the most variety emotionally, are the ones featuring the core string quartet. The finely executed "S4/TC-2," in which Tony Coe's clarinet melds gently with the hushed cries of the string quartet, presents a distinctly sophisticated and tuneful chamber feel, something that characterizes much of the album. Wheeler is a strong addition to the few tracks on which he plays, focusing on a genre of lyrical free improvisation in which he is most effective. Evan Parker's appearances are slightly disappointing, if only because he appears so infrequently and his anticipated duo with Wheeler on "W2-1" is somewhat of a letdown. Nonetheless, the album does offer the opportunity to hear him in different contexts than usual. While hardly indispensable, Free Zone Appleby offers yet another glimpse into the astonishingly creative world of British free improvisation. Steve Loewy
Tracklist :
1    S4-1 3:14
2    S4/TC-1 4:58
3    S4-2 5:05
4    W2-1 4:56
5    S4/KW-1 2:42
6    S4-3 4:12
7    S4/EP 5:18
8    S4-4 8:13
9    W2-2 3:13
10    S4/KW-2 7:47
11    S4-5 6:32
12    S4/TC-2 3:19
13    W4/JE 8:53
14    S4/AH 7:16
Credits :
Bass – John Edwards
Cello – Marcio Mattos
Clarinet – Alan Hacker, Tony Coe
Flugelhorn –  Sylvia Hallett
Painting – Phil Morsman
Soprano Saxophone – Evan Parker
Violin, Electronics – Philipp Wachsmann
Violin, Voice, Sarangi – Sylvia Hallett

FOXES FOX - Foxes Fox + Naan Tso (1999-2005) 2 Albums | FLAC (image+tracks+.cue), lossless

 This is apparently the first recording of the quartet consisting of Parker on both tenor and soprano saxes, Steve Beresford on piano, Louis Moholo on drums, and John Edwards on bass. It is a stunning document all the way around. Parker plays on only five of the nine tracks, but the members of the rhythm trio perform magnificently on their features. Beresford is an original improviser form the Cecil Taylor school, while Moholo adds a sophisticated air, and Edwards continues to show himself as one of the leading free-style bassists. Still, it is largely Parker's show, and although the saxophonist does not mine any new ground, he is in superb form. He plays mostly tenor, on which he blows more conventionally, though no less thrillingly than on soprano. A generous recording time just over 77 minutes is an extra bonus. Steve Loewy
Tracklist :
1     Wood on Wood 3:58
John Edwards / Louis Moholo
2     Amoebic Mystery 22:33
Steve Beresford / John Edwards / Louis Moholo / Evan Parker
3     Running (With Scissors) 6:36
Steve Beresford / John Edwards / Louis Moholo
4     Bird With a Shell 11:57
Steve Beresford / John Edwards / Louis Moholo / Evan Parker
5     Snail/Kite 4:20
Steve Beresford / John Edwards
6     Fox's Fox 3:55
Louis Moholo / Evan Parker
7     Foxes Fox 17:16
Steve Beresford / John Edwards / Louis Moholo / Evan Parker
8     Toast Sweat 3:25
Steve Beresford / Louis Moholo
9     Dog Bone D Flat 3:34
Steve Beresford / John Edwards / Louis Moholo / Evan Parker
Credits :
Double Bass – John Edwards (faixas: 1 to 5, 7, 9)
Drums, Cymbal, Timpani, Claves – Louis Moholo (faixas: 1 to 4, 6 to 9)
Music By – Evan Parker, John Edwards, Louis Moholo, Steve Beresford
Piano – Steve Beresford (faixas: 2 to 5, 7 to 9)
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Evan Parker (faixas: 2, 4, 6, 7, 9) 

 Foxes Fox - Naan Tso
(2005, psi – psi 05.07)

Recorded five years after Foxes Fox, this quartet's debut (released under the musicians' separate names with Evan Parker in the lead position), Naan Tso brings listeners up to date on these sly improvisers' adventures together and serves as a farewell to drummer Louis Moholo, who moved back to Cape Town, South Africa, in September 2005, after decades spent in exile in England. Naan Tso features four improvisations recorded at Steve Lowe's Gateway Studios. The whole quartet is heard on three of these pieces; pianist Steve Beresford sits out the slightly shorter "Slightly Foxed." With seasoned improvisers such as Parker, Beresford, Moholo, and John Edwards, there is no need to worry. Though the music is free to (and does) go anywhere, the listener usually knows what to expect -- and Naan Tso does not disappoint: dynamic playing, fierce exchanges between tenor sax and piano, delicate work from bass and drums, and a willingness to share collective fun with the listener. Free or not, Moholo always had that certain swing in his fingers (listen to his ride cymbal in the first minutes of "Renard Pâle," among other places). This jazziness permeates the music, crossing over from stage right to stage left to clash with Beresford's "classical pianist going through a breakdown" style. More often than not, that is the force field driving the music onward. Naan Tso may lack a bit in the surprise department, but it still offers a good, enjoyable session from a formation that has had very little exposure outside of England. You might want to get Foxes Fox first, though. François Couture
Tracklist :
1    Naan Tso    30:58
2    Slightly Foxed    8:43
3    Reinecke Gefettet    13:56
4    Renard Pâle    15:24
Credits :
Double Bass – John Edwards
Percussion – Louis Moholo-Moholo
Piano – Steve Beresford
Tenor Saxophone, Liner Notes – Evan Parker

EVAN PARKER - House Full Of Floors (2009) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

On an inside panel of the booklet for House Full of Floors, Evan Parker’s second release for John Zorn’s Tzadik imprint (and his third album of 2009), he writes simply of the session as if framing a poem: “The plan was to / record the trio. / Aleks Kolkowski / came to make some / wax cylinder recordings / and he stayed / to play some / quartet pieces.” The truth of the matter is, this is hardly disingenuous. The recording actually sounds exactly like its description. Parker, guitarist John Russell, and bassist John Edwards are featured on the majority of this beautiful set in a series of trios and duets that are knotty, subtle, and deeply intuitive improvisational pieces. Kolkowski joins them on a Stroh viola, the saw, and wax cylinder recorder on two tracks as well. Parker’s signature as an improviser is immediate. Whether it’s a series of single-note lines and phrases or tonal clusters rushing out of his tenor or soprano, the control is total. A prime example is “Ca-la-ba-son,” an 11-minute trio piece where we first hear Russell’s acoustic guitar before some breathy elongated tones on Parker’s tenor. Edwards is hammering ever so lightly on the strings of his bass as an empathic rhythmic force. Parker’s sense of “melody” quickly asserts itself and Russell is then coloring the spaces between. It’s a very fast shift, but one that is so precise and intuitive that it could have been scripted. Of course, exchanges happen here, and Parker doesn’t need to control the language of his partners. Players take turns bleeding out the edge with unique techniques in order to follow the sound in the very moment it’s being created.
The soundscapes created by Kolkowski on “Figure Dancing” and “Aka AK” are seamlessly integrated. The informal approach of the viola creating new textures for Parker’s tonal investigations is unique, haunting, and beautiful on the former track -- with some gorgeous, almost lyrical colors and shapes emanating from the quartet -- and cartoony (thanks to the saw, no doubt) and dizzying on the latter one. The title piece, near the end of the album, is also its longest. The most halting of phrases comes from Parker and Russell simultaneously and is underlined haltingly by Edwards at first. The sparse manner of stepping onto new ground quickly and deftly becomes a firm way forward. The stutter, stop, and start movements of the sax and guitar in the middle are accompanied by a droning note by Edwards, who follows it in a “solo” cluster of chords patch, ever so briefly, before the entire group comes together as before, though they're more assertive and ever more labyrinthine as they go in. The album’s final track, "Wind Up," is a spooky, lovely thing. Because of the wax cylinder overdub backing the trio, there are infinitely greater series of tonal possibilities, but these three don’t need them; they work their way into the wax recording, finding an entirely different direction on the way there than the one they previously recorded. There are so many records by Parker at this point that it can feel anticlimactic when a new one appears. But that shouldn’t be, simply because he records when he is looking for something or, as in the case here, simply to record to see what happens. And here, just as is evidenced by the vast majority of his albums, plenty does.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1    Three Of A Kind    5:52
2    Donne's Banjo    4:45
3    Ca-la-ba-son    11:05
4    Figure Dancing    6:14
5    Aka AK    3:09
6    Kabala-sum-sum-sum    12:34
7    Shown Jot    4:58
8    House Full Of Floors    13:00
9    Wind Up    2:19
Credits :
Bass – John Edwards (pistas: 1, 3 to 8)
Guitar – John Russell (pistas: 1 to 8)
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Producer – Evan Parker
Viola [Stroh Viola], Saw, Instruments [Wax Cylinder Recorder] – Aleks Kolkowski (pistas: 4, 5)

OTOMO YOSHIHIDE | SACHIKO M | EVAN PARKER | JOHN BUTCHER | JOHN EDWARDS | TONY MARSH - Quintet / Sextet (2014) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Sextet    23:00
2    Quintet    28:28
3    Duo    12:59
4    Duo    12:41
Credits :
Double Bass – John Edwards (pistas: 1, 2)
Drums – Tony Marsh (pistas: 1, 2)
Electronics [Sine Waves] – Sachiko M (pistas: 1, 2, 4)
Guitar – Otomo Yoshihide (pistas: 1 to 3)
Mixed By – John Butcher
Saxophone [Saxophones] – Evan Parker (pistas: 1, 2), John Butcher (pistas: 1, 3, 4)