EVAN PARKER & PAUL LYTTON - At the Unity Theatre (1975-2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Three years after Evan Parker and Paul Lytton's recording debut as a duo (Collective Calls, originally released by Incus), At the Unity Theatre captures them in a live setting. The studio album saw them foray into microscopic sounds. This time around the music is overall more feverish and loud, but it loses nothing in subtlety and intelligence. "In the Midst of Laughter and Glee," at 18 minutes long, stands as one of their best improvisations from that period. We are greeted by a low growl, like a long string being scratched; it may be the enigmatic lyttonophone but, in any case, it immediately tells you how unconventional this sax/drums duet was. Closer to the end, Parker squeezes out of his soprano sax the whiny sounds of an oboe or shenai, unfolding a sinuous mourning song that is simply stunning. He also plays a raspier tenor and uses a bullroarer and cassettes of prior performances -- but these are discernible only on very close listen. Lytton spends little time playing the drum kit in a conventional way. Instead he focuses on objects and scrap metal, but still makes quite a racket. The CD reissue of this album (on Parker's Psi imprint) adds over 22 minutes of previously unissued material in the form of two extra improvisations from the same concert. At 18 minutes,"Through Consensus" was too long to make it on the original LP without sacrificing "In the Midst of Laughter and Glee," which is simply better. Despite some captivating activity, the two musicians drift apart, Parker trying to force the piece into a more powerful direction while Lytton instead moves deeper within his pile of scrap metal. It makes a nice bonus though. François Couture  
Tracklist :
1    In The Midst Of Laughter And Glee    18:07
2    On Reflection    5:31
3    Mild Steel Rivets For P.H.    14:50
4    The Dirlston Dirler    7:30
5    Through Consensus    18:26
6    To Unity    4:03
7    Bonus Track    0:08
Percussion, Electronics [Live], Voice, Written-By – Paul Lytton
Producer – Derek Bailey
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Reeds [Lyttonophone], Drums [Pole], Performer [Bullroarer, Cassettes], Liner Notes, Written-By – Evan Parker

EVAN PARKER | BARRY GUY | PAUL LYTTON - Atlăn′tă (1990) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Recorded in 1986 at a concert in Atlanta, the trio of Parker, Guy, and Lytton had even then been playing together for over a decade, and here it shows. Over four pieces, all of them improvised on the spot, Parker leads the trio through the gyrations of his circular improvisation on both soprano and tenor and also through the small and basic elements of "jazz" he respects -- but they get mutated almost immediately, as one might expect. Parker's interplay with his rhythm section is akin to a rough dancer skidding along the floor to a graceful, elegant orchestra. The interplay between Guy and Lytton is so mesmerizing, so completely self-contained, it's Parker who has to focus on them or he'll be lost in the glorious tumult. The rhythmic communication -- especially as Guy pulls out three or four notes, legato, and then slides a chord up the bass as Lytton creates a rhythm around that phrase for Guy to come back to and extrapolate -- is breathtaking. As for Parker, there is little to say except that, despite having to be very physical on this evening, he was aware of everything, offering whatever color and shape, whatever texture or fragment that might be useful to the rhythmic dance, though he was the frontman. This is a must-have for fans of this trio.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1    Atlăn′tă 25:19
Written-By – Guy, Parker, Lytton
2    Two In One 9:03
Written-By – Guy
3    The Snake As Road Sign 17:05
Written-By – Parker
4    Geometry 20:47
Written-By – Guy, Parker, Lytton
Credits :
Bass – Barry Guy (pistas: 1, 2, 4)
Drums, Percussion – Paul Lytton (pistas: 1, 4)
Soprano Saxophone – Evan Parker (pistas: 3)
Tenor Saxophone – Evan Parker (pistas: 1, 4)

EVAN PARKER | ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC ENSEMBLE - Toward the Margins (1997) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Founded in 1992, Evan Parker's Electro-Acoustic Ensemble is a highly sophisticated grouping, which for this recording conceptually pairs three acoustic musicians with electronic tone manipulators. What keeps it so interesting is the different approaches to electronics, with Walter Prati transforming Parker's sounds, Marco Vecchi reformulating Paul Lytton's percussion, and violinist Philipp Wachsmann processing his own acoustic sounds and those of bassist Barry Guy. It is all fascinating stuff, and if it does not swing or fit into any easy definitions of "jazz," it takes the concept of improvisation to a new level. There is sometimes an aimlessness to it all that can be off-putting, but concentrated listening can produce wonderful rewards for the patient consumer. Parker's role seems less that of a leader than an instigator. He does, nonetheless, afford himself the opportunity to press his revolutionary technique to action. The detailed 20-page booklet, with extensive liner notes by Steve Lake is a real plus. Steve Loewy
Tracklist :
1    Toward The Margins 4:31
Music By – Guy, Parker, Wachsmann
2    Turbulent Mirror 5:51
Music By – Evan Parker
3    Field And Figure 7:06
Music By – Guy, Parker
4    The Regenerative Landscape (For AMM) 3:34
Music By – Evan Parker
5    Chain Of Chance 4:19
Music By – Vecchi, Lytton, Prati
6    Trahütten 6:17
Music By – Parker, Wachsmann
Shadow Without An Object (6:00)
Music By – Guy, Parker, Vecchi, Lytton, Wachsmann, Prati
7.1    (I) Engagement    
7.2    (II) Reversal    
7.3    (III) Displacement    
8    Epanados 4:27
Music By – Guy, Parker, Vecchi, Lytton, Wachsmann, Prati
9    Born Cross-Eyed (Remembering Fuller) 2:49
Music By – Paul Lytton
10    Philipp's Pavilion 7:32
Music By – Parker, Wachsmann
11    The Hundred Books (For Idries Shah) 4:09
Music By – Evan Parker
12    Contra-Dance 3:38
Music By – Guy, Parker
Credits :
Cover – Mayo Bucher
Double Bass – Barry Guy
Electronics [Live Electronics], Effects [Sound Processing] – Marco Vecchi, Walter Prati
Percussion, Electronics [Live Electronics] – Paul Lytton
Soprano Saxophone, Gong – Evan Parker
Violin, Viola, Electronics [Live Electronics], Effects [Sound Processing] – Philipp Wachsmann

EVAN PARKER with PAUL LYTTON, PAUL RUTHERFORD & HANS SCHNEIDER — Waterloo 1985 (1999) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Evan Parker is a household name -- that is, if your household is occupied by aficionados of the British improvised music scene. Otherwise, you might not have heard of him. But no matter. If freely improvised music is your bag, this disc is for you: it documents a 1985 concert by Parker (soprano and tenor saxophones) and trombonist Paul Rutherford, bassist Hans Schneider and percussionist Paul Lytton. As is often the case with this sort of thing, the instrumentation will mislead the unwary: not only is this not jazz, unless you listen closely you might not even believe that the instruments listed are the ones being used. That's because Schneider and Parker, in particular, employ extended techniques that produce lots of sounds not normally associated with their instruments -- whistling overtones from the bass, grunts and mutters from the sax, random skitterings from the percussion. The program consists of one hour-long track (titled "Dark Interior," for what that's worth), but its texture varies significantly as players drop in and out or turn temporarily to more lyrical approaches before returning to the skronky mayhem that prevails at the beginning and end. No, it's not for everyone. But then, lots of great music isn't for everyone. Take a chance. Rick Anderson
Tracklist :
1    Dark Interior    1:00:50
Credits :
Double Bass – Hans Schneider
Illustration – Kris Vanderstraeten
Music By – Evan Parker, Hans Schneider, Paul Lytton, Paul Rutherford
Percussion, Electronics [Live] – Paul Lytton
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Evan Parker
Trombone – Paul Rutherford

EVAN PARKER | BARRY GUY | PAUL LYTTON ft. JOE McPHEE — The Redwood Session (1996) Spirit Room Series – Vol.1 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This live set was the initial release by the mostly avant-garde CIMP label. Evan Parker (on soprano and tenor) interacts with bassist Barry Guy and drummer Paul Lytton on four lengthy, free sound explorations. Parker generally dominates, achieving a wide variety of sounds out of his horns. The closing "Then Paul Saw the Snake" is the actual high point because trumpeter Joe McPhee sits in, making the trio a dynamic quartet and the music a little more accessible. Those listeners with very open ears should find this set of interest. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Not Yet 12:47
Barry Guy / Paul Lytton / Evan Parker
2     The Masks 10:47
Barry Guy / Paul Lytton / Evan Parker
3     Craig's Story 14:10
Barry Guy / Paul Lytton / Evan Parker
4     Pedal (For Warren) 9:22
Barry Guy / Paul Lytton / Evan Parker
5     Then Paul Saw the Snake (For Susan) 11:59
Barry Guy / Paul Lytton / Evan Parker
Credits :
Bass – Barry Guy
Drums, Percussion – Paul Lytton
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Evan Parker
Trumpet – Joe McPhee (faixas: 5)

EVAN PARKER | ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC ENSEMBLE - Drawn Inward (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Evan Parker has performed in so many contexts, but he seems to have hit a particular stride with his Electro-Acoustic Ensemble, a strange combination of saxophones, strings, and electronics. What makes this so exceedingly attractive is the continuous wonder that permeates throughout. Parker is no means the standout performer; his soprano and tenor sometimes meld, at others lead, but it is his remarkable companions, Philipp Wachsmann (on violin, viola, and electronics), Barry Guy (on acoustic bass), Paul Lytton (on percussion and electronics), plus three very different electronic sound manipulators, Lawrence Casserly, Walter Prati, and Marco Vecchi, who combine to produce some electrifying and starkly delightful music. Parker fans that have not heard this group before may be surprised at the results. Although the saxophonist embraces his now well-known advanced techniques, they are clearly subordinate to the project. At times there is a busy intensity to it all, at others a serene quality. Highly complex strokes for an increasingly intricate society, perhaps, where moods change and so do their contexts. Don't file under easy listening. Steve Loewy  
Tracklist :
1    The Crooner (For Johnny Hartman) 9:13
Composed By – Parker, Wachsmann
2    Serpent In Sky 7:30
Composed By – Evan Parker
3    Travel In The Homeland 7:58
Composed By – Paul Lytton
4    Spouting Bowl 2:56
Composed By – Lawrence Casserley
5    Collect Calls [Milano-Kingston] [Bugged] 10:38
Composed By – Parker, Prati
6    Aka Lotan 4:24
Composed By – Parker, Wachsmann
7    Reanascreena 5:43
Composed By – Barry Guy
8    At Home In The Universe (For Stuart Kauffman) 3:20
Composed By – Evan Parker
9    Writing On Ice 3:43
Composed By – Philipp Wachsmann
10    Phloy In The Frame 3:49
Composed By – Parker, Lytton
11    DrawnInward 5:59
Composed By – Evan Parker
Credits :
Double Bass – Barry Guy
Electronics [Live Electronics], Effects [Sound Processing] – Lawrence Casserley, Marco Vecchi, Walter Prati
Percussion, Electronics [Live Electronics] – Paul Lytton
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Khene [Khène] – Evan Parker
Violin, Viola, Electronics [Live Electronics], Effects [Sound Processing] – Philipp Wachsmann

EVAN PARKER | BARRY GUY | PAUL LYTTON - At the Vortex (1996) (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Evan Parker, Barry Guy, Paul Lytton. This trio has been going on since the mid-'80s, but the musicians were already playing together in various outfits in 1966. There is no shortage of albums by this band, but At the Vortex ranks as one of, if not downright, its strongest recording. Why? Because it was done in perfect conditions, with all musicians in astonishing shape, on home court, so to speak: downtown London in front of an enthusiastic crowd of hard-core fans. And because that night's performance is presented unedited, all 78 minutes split into two extended sets. Listen to Parker's circular breathing solo at the beginning of the second set: He is literally smoking. Guy burns his double bass to the ground; Lytton is everywhere at once. The energy is discharged in spasms of sound, one cathartic moment after another. And yet, there is no going overboard or becoming your own stereotype. The strength, the inspiration, the spirit, the simple joy of playing together: That's what this music is all about. Of course the standard saxophone/bass/drums trio format calls for something a little jazzier than usual, but Parker remains true to himself, firmly anchored in free improv waters. Unless you are incapable of a long attention span, At the Vortex is an essential recording, even a good place to start for newcomers. One tip: In order to put all the music on one CD, applause has been edited out and only five seconds were left between sets. Do yourself a favor: After the first set, press the "pause" button and take a couple of minutes off, like the musicians and the audience must have had that night. You'll feel fresher when the magic starts happening all over again. Strongly and heartily recommended. François Couture  
Tracklist :
1     At the Vortex (First Set) 38:19
Barry Guy / Paul Lytton / Evan Parker
2     At the Vortex (Second Set) 40:25
Barry Guy / Paul Lytton / Evan Parker
Credits :
Double Bass [Amplified], Music By – Barry Guy
Percussion, Drums, Cymbal, Music By – Paul Lytton
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Music By – Evan Parker

PARKER | GUY | LYTTON | SCHLIPPENBACH TRIO - 2 X 3 = 5 (2001) FLAC (tracks), lossless

The title refers to the two trios of Parker/Schlippenbach/Lovens and Parker/Guy/Lytton, each of which groupings has performed on innumerable occasions, and some of which are documented on some extraordinary albums. Here, the two trios are united for one long, live piece, and the results are as good as to be expected. Considering that the piece is nearly 80 minutes, it is remarkable that Parker and colleagues are able to continuously maintain the listener's interest. This is a meeting of five like-minded, fully compatible, yet highly individual musical mavens who are capable of reaching extraordinary heights on their instruments. The use of two drummers might imply a certain fierceness that is simply not found here. The two Pauls (Lovens and Lytton) are each delicate performers, artists who never step on one another's toes, and who spur the music to sophisticated levels. Pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach and bassist Barry Guy, outstanding practitioners on their instruments, are in perfect harmony, as Schlippenbach's fingers glide across the piano keys with alarming rapidity, and Guy's bass performs in ways that must be heard to be believed. Parker, of course, is frenetic, with his usual blend of tricks on tenor and soprano saxes. While it is true that there is no new ground broken, this wonderful recording of the quintet should thrill Parker's legion of fans, and introduce others to his uniquely splendid approach. Steve Loewy  
Tracklist :
1    2X3=5    1:17:07
Credits :
Bass – Barry Guy
Drums – Paul Lovens, Paul Lytton
Music By – A. Schlippenbach, B. Guy, E. Parker, P. Lovens, P. Lytton
Piano – Alex von Schlippenbach
Saxophone [Saxophones] – Evan Parker

PARKER | GUY | LYTTON and MARILYN CRISPELL - After Appleby (2000) 2CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Evan Parker continues to record session after session of outstanding music. This two-CD set features a splendid quartet with Parker alternating between soprano and tenor saxophones, Barry Guy on bass, Marilyn Crispell on piano, and Paul Lytton on percussion. The first disc is taken from a studio recording just one day before the live club recording captured on the second disk. Lytton and Guy, in particular, are longtime collaborators with Parker, but the addition of the pianist is a welcome addition to the mix, giving the proceedings an extra depth. Crispell can spurt fleetingly across the keyboard with clusters of notes, but she also shows a lyrical side that displays considerable depth. The longer tracks feature the quartet, while the others alternate between different combinations of the musicians. All are in perfect form, and the clear recording quality and lengthy recording time (more than two hours) commend this double-disc set to admirers of Evan Parker and freely improvised music. Steve Loewy
Studio Recording    
1-1    Warp 3:38
Music By – Guy, Crispell
1-2    Blue Star Kachina 20:05
Music By – Guy, Parker, Crispell, Lytton
1-3    Wax 2:57
Music By – Crispell, Lytton
1-4    Falcon's Wing 2:54
Music By – Guy, Parker
1-5    Wane 3:10
Music By – Crispell, Lytton
1-6    Weft 2:32
Music By – Guy, Crispell
1-7    Where Heart Revive 25:14
Music By – Guy, Parker, Crispell, Lytton
1-8    Tchefit 3:05
Music By – Guy, Parker
Live Recording    
2-1    Capnomantic Vortex (For David Mossman) 51:36
Music By – Guy, Parker, Crispell, Lytton
2-2    Fond Farewell 15:59
Music By – Guy, Crispell, Lytton
2-3    (applause)    0:20
Credits :
Artwork [Front Cover Sculpture] – Neil Ferber
Bass – Barry Guy
Percussion – Paul Lytton
Piano – Marilyn Crispell
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Evan Parker

PARKER | GUY | LYTTON and MARILYN CRISPELL - Natives and Aliens (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The billing is a bit misleading: rather than a duo album, Natives and Aliens features the Evan Parker Trio -- saxophonist Parker plus longtime collaborators Barry Guy on bass and Paul Lytton on drums and percussion -- working with avant-garde pianist Marilyn Crispell. Originally recorded in the early '80s and first released in a small vinyl edition before gaining a wider distribution on CD in 2001, these 11 tracks are fluid, small-group improvisations that slot Crispell neatly into the practiced interplay of Parker's trio. Crispell's playing blends the best characteristics of her two acknowledged inspirations, with Paul Bley's fluidity (best heard on the speedy, rippling cascades of notes that color "Sumach") and Cecil Taylor's percussive, rhythmically free attack (as on "Day of Small Truths," where the pianist interjects booming, sustained chords into a lyrical solo by Guy). The Evan Parker Trio, as always, play with the intuition and improvisatory grace that comes when skilled musicians are in tune with each other's idiosyncracies, giving Natives and Aliens a light -- almost swinging, in the old-school sense -- touch that's often missing in this brand of modern jazz. Stewart Mason  
Tracklist :
1    Stag's Horn    9:48
2    Sumach    6:35
3    Rhus    8:05
4    Friends From Above    6:35
5    Hirta    4:25
6    Sippenaeken Visitation    8:22
7    And The Tints    3:55
8    A Deeper Red    1:47
9    In Velvet    2:38
10    Day Of Small Truths    7:19guy
11    Natives And Aliens    10:21
Credits :
Double Bass, Bass [Piccolo Bass] – Barry Guy
Music By [All Ttiles Are Collective Works] – Barry Guy, Evan Parker, Marilyn Crispell, Paul Lytton
Percussion – Paul Lytton
Piano – Marilyn Crispell
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Evan Parker

EVAN PARKER | ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC ENSEMBLE - Memory/Vision (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble has been an ever-changing entity in both personnel and musical direction. Originally structured as a free jazz unit whose players were given "electronic shadows," this model has given way to something entirely other in composition and execution. The ensemble now numbers nine members. Only five of these players -- Parker (saxophones, tapes, samples), Philipp Wachsmann (violin, electronics), Augusti Fernandez (piano, prepared piano), Barry Guy (double bass), and Paul Lytton (percussion, electronics) -- are considered "free jazz" players in anything resembling proper usage. Six members of the ensemble play electronics (the others are Joel Ryan, Walter Prati, Marco Vecchio, and Lawrence Casserley). Memory/Vision is a work commissioned by the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and Oslo's Ultima Festival. These recordings of the work were taken from those performances. What is so remarkable about this work is that four of the ensemble members (the final four mentioned above) make music by transforming sounds and phrases from the musicians in real time according to individual interpretation and re-offering them as improvisational material. Talk about walking on a wire; this all happened live in front of an audience! In his introductory notes, Parker gives credit for the inspiration for the structure of this work to Charles Arthur Musés and his concept of "chronotopology." At each of the seven stages here a "strand" of prior recordings exists, sometimes already containing prior recorded improvisations. These are reacted to and acted upon, creating within their new framework the resonances of something previous, something other. Sure, it's interesting, but how does it "sound"? Like excitement, like something emerging that moves beyond itself in each phase; it sounds like a dialogue that cannot be insular because of its input from "outside" as each member contributes from previously held notions not only of the music itself, but from previous improvisations; it sounds like movement directed at other movement for the purpose of moving further still. And finally, it sounds like a group, an ensemble, fixed on a direction where many articulations create seams and cracks from which emerge musico-linguistic utterance that becomes a communicative language both poetic and speculative. It is at times startling, wondrous, puzzling, and beautiful. It is always compelling, engaging, and full of interest for any listener with an open mind. Ultimately, this is one of the most emotionally resonant works Parker has given listeners. And one hopes that such a description will not insult his brilliant mind or his aesthetic sensibilities. Wonderful.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
Memory / Vision - Staring Into The Time Cone    
1    Part 1    10:22
2    Part 2    11:18
3    Part 3    5:09
4    Part 4    13:21
5    Part 5    12:43
6    Part 6    9:10
7    Part 7    8:31
Credits :
Computer, Effects [Sound Processing] – Joel Ryan
Design – Sascha Kleis
Double Bass – Barry Guy
Electronics, Effects [Sound Processing] – Marco Vecchi, Walter Prati
Music By – Evan Parker
Percussion, Electronics – Paul Lytton
Piano, Piano [Prepared Piano] – Agustí Fernandez
Soprano Saxophone, Tape [Tapes], Sampler [Samples], Liner Notes – Evan Parker
Violin, Electronics – Philipp Wachsmann

EVAN PARKER | PAUL LYTTON - Collective Calls (Urban) (Two Microphones) (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Recorded over two days in April 1972 and first released as an Incus LP later that year, Collective Calls is the first album by the Evan Parker/Paul Lytton duo. Subtitled "An improvised urban psychodrama in eight parts," it was filled with amazing sounds that remain puzzling to this day and used the LP format in unusual ways. First, it is anything but a sax-and-drums session. Of course, Parker is already developing the avant-gardist techniques that will turn him into one of the best-known figures of the British free improv scene. But here he also plays wooden flutes and maybe some other instruments (bird calls? mouthpieces alone?). Lytton's drum set includes a lot of scrap metal and junk objects. The pair explores the very quiet and very loud, unveiling new sounds and textures in every track. "Peradam" opens the proceedings with something pretty close to what someone familiar with the duo's work in the '80s and '90s might expect. "Cat's Flux 2" includes flutes and strange bowed sounds (maybe an amplified long string). "Shaker" and "Lytton Perdu," both 13 minutes long, move into the very quiet and textural, extremely adventurous by 1972 standards and still cutting-edge when the album was reissued on CD in 2002. What's most striking, though, is how the tracks have been organized. They form a succession of sharp contrasts, with each side of the original LP ending with a short drone piece that leaves the listener clueless. Decades after the fact, Collective Calls still packs an artistic punch. François Couture  
Tracklist :
1    Peradam    5:15
2    Cat's Flux 2    5:48
3    Shaker    13:01
4    Left Of The Neo-Left    1:18
5    Lytton Perdu    13:25
6    Voice Fragment    0:25
7    Some Mother Blues    8:06
8    What's Left Of The Neo-Left    1:59
Credits :
Percussion, Drums – Paul Lytton
Saxophone, Liner Notes – Evan Parker

EVAN PARKER TRIO & PETER BRÖTZMANN TRIO - Bishop's Move (2004) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

A happening. Not that these two heavyweight reedsmen had never shared a stage, but this was going to be a face-off, a clash between two of the hardest-working free improv trios on the circuit. On the left side of the stage: Evan Parker, with drummer Paul Lytton and pianist Alex von Schlippenbach, the latter filling in for bassist Barry Guy. On the right side: Peter Brötzmann and his trusty rhythm section, bassist William Parker and drummer Hamid Drake. These are two highly experienced and gifted trios, with different approaches (complementary ones, some will say). And what happened on-stage, as The Bishop's Move testifies, was a magical 75 minutes of relentless improvising, with a constant shift between open-ended sharing and thrust-and-parry dynamics. The single continuous piece begins with all six musicians on stage. Right out of the gate, the players hit an energy peak, eager to demonstrate that this meeting will not be for the weak. Things do quiet down afterwards, especially as players start walking off and coming back, sifting through a number of subgroupings, including the original two trios and a piano-plus-double-percussion segment. Parker displays his unmatched technique early on, while Brötzmann waits until 50 minutes in before taking the stage by storm and literally stealing the show, first with an inspired clarinet solo over Parker's bass and Drake's frantic djembe, then with a devastating sax segment as Drake moves back to the drumkit. Most supergroups don't live up to expectations, but this one delivers all the promises contained within its name. Compared to the laid-back performances found on the recent Parker/Schlippenbach/Lytton two-CD set released on Psi (America 2003, recorded during the same tour), The Bishop's Move is surprisingly high-energy. And all for the better. François Couture  
Tracklist :
1    The Bishop's Move    1:13:31
Credits :
Double Bass – William Parker
Drums, Djembe, Percussion – Hamid Drake
Drums, Percussion – Paul Lytton
Piano – Alex Von Schlippenbach
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Evan Parker
Tenor Saxophone, Tárogató [Tarogato], Alto Clarinet – Peter Brötzmann

EVAN PARKER - Free Zone Appleby 2004 (2005) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

In 2004, the Free Zone feature of the Appleby Jazz Festival presented a sequence of duo and trio combinations featuring bassist Barry Guy, percussionist Paul Lytton, saxophonist Evan Parker, violinist Philipp Wachsmann, and Joel Ryan on live computer processing. Free Zone Appleby 2004 culls pieces taken from each of the four sets. Every set was twofold, starting with a duo between Ryan and one of the acoustic players, followed by a trio between the three other musicians. The track list on the CD reflects this organization, systematically permuting players. Ryan's work with free improvisers never ceases to amaze; his approach is much more complementary than the usual fragmentation processes of other computer artists working in live situations. His duo with Wachsmann ranks among the best material he has recorded yet. The two of them are literally fused together, each one reinventing the language of the other. The duo with Barry Guy also reaches impressive heights. The other duos fall more within expectations -- strong, but not surprising. The trios are also rather uneventful, as Guy, Lytton, Parker, and Wachsmann have been improvising together for so many years. Each lineup produces good interaction levels, with a special mention going to "Trio-3" by Parker, Guy, and Wachsmann, but these pieces present nothing different that would recommend them over earlier recordings. That said, Ryan's presence on over half of the album is reason enough to add this title to your collection. François Couture
Tracklist :
1    Duo-1    11:38
2    Trio-1    7:28
3    Duo-2    6:33
4    Trio-2    6:50
5    Duo-3    11:45
6    Trio-3    8:44
7    Duo-4    18:24
8    Trio-4    7:57
Credits :
Bass – Barry Guy (pistas: 2, 3, 6, 8)
Effects [Live Processing] – Joel Ryan (pistas: 1, 3, 5, 7)
Painting – Phil Morsman
Percussion – Paul Lytton (pistas: 2, 4, 5, 8)
Soprano Saxophone – Evan Parker (pistas: 2, 4, 6, 7)
Violin, Electronics – Philipp Wachsmann (pistas: 1, 4, 6, 8)

AGUSTÍ FERNÁNDEZ | EVAN PARKER | BARRY GUY | PAUL LYTTON | - Topos (2007) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Coalescence    1:58
2    Open Systems    9:44
3    In Praise Of Shadows    5:20
4    Air/Luft    4:30
5    Still Listening    6:43
6    Moon Over BCN    6:28
7    Smart Set    3:46
8    This One Is For Kowald    6:31
9    Inner Silence    3:51
Credits :
Artwork [Cover Art] – VANCHE
Composed By – Fernández, Guy (pistas: 1 to 4, 6 to 8), Parker (pistas: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9), Lytton (pistas: 1 to 6, 8, 9)
Double Bass – Barry Guy (pistas: 1 to 4, 6 to 8)
Percussion – Paul Lytton (pistas: 1 to 6, 8, 9)
Piano – Agustí Fernández
Producer [Produced By] – Agustí Fernández, Maya Recordings
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Evan Parker (pistas: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9)

EVAN PARKER | ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC ENSEMBLE – The Eleventh Hour (2005) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Eleventh Hour is the fourth offering by Evan Parker's Electro-Acoustic Ensemble on ECM. The ensemble here numbers 11 members, six of whom are electronic sound sculptors and sound processors, with the remainder -- including Philipp Wachsmann and Paul Lytton -- are free jazz and new music improvisers. The title piece, in five parts, was commissioned by the Contemporary Arts Center in Glasgow, where the album was recorded. The first track, "Shadow Play," is a separate entity employing the same strategies of music being played live, then fed through a number of sampling keyboards as live electronics are added and processed as yet other sounds and other music is being played atop it all, beginning the cycle over again. The sheer sparseness and ghostliness of "Shadow Play" is a hook in and of itself. There is a lot going on as violin, soprano saxophone, percussion, and piano all fall together, but as the sounds are treated and added to electronically, they have an air of space and separation that creates an immense space for the listener. On "Eleventh Hour," free improv of a more intense variety kicks off the first section with live acoustic instrumentation in the foreground and sonics are slipped forward and backward through the dialogue. As the piece develops, silence, ambience, and repetition play more and more of a role, as new modes and routes are proposed and integrated through the sections as each "real" instrument is allowed its own free play, and then dialogue, in duet and trio engagements with others. The final five minutes of this work is one of the most ominous and tense dronescapes, punctuated by high-pitched industrial sounds and offering a mood of pure foreboding, and even dread. It's dynamic, dramatic, and utterly unsettling, leaving the listener spellbound once the recording has drifted into silence.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1    Shadow Play 17:29
Composed By – Parker / Ryan / Casserley / Prati
The Eleventh Hour
Composed By – Evan Parker
2    Part 1    12:52
3    Part 2    9:33
4    Part 3    12:02
5    Part 4    15:32
6    Part 5    5:28
Credits :
Double Bass – Adam Linson
Effects [Computer Processing] – Walter Prati
Effects [Sample And Signal Processing] – Joel Ryan
Effects [Sound Projection] – Marco Vecchi
EInstruments [Signal Processing Instrument], Percussion, Voice – Lawrence Casserley
Keyboards [Sampling Keyboard], Electronics [Live Electronics] – Paul Obermayer, Richard Barrett
Percussion, Electronics [Live Electronics] – Paul Lytton
Piano, Piano [Prepared Piano] – Agustí Fernandez
Soprano Saxophone, Voice – Evan Parker
Violin, Electronics [Live Electronics] – Philipp Wachsmann

PARKER | GUY | LYTTON - Zafiro (2006) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Zafiro    (52:04)
1    ID 1 (Start)    11:11
2    ID 2 (Bass, Perc)    4:34
3    ID 3 (Enter Tenor Sax)    8:38
4    ID 4 (Perc. Solo)    3:47
5    ID 5 (Enter Bass)    2:48
6    ID 6 (Enter Soprano Sax)    2:03
7    ID 7 (Soprano Sax Solo)    7:58
8    ID 8 (Bass, Perc)    1:53
9    ID 9 (Enter Soprano Sax)    9:09
10    ID 10 Zafiro Encore    8:45
Credits :
Composed By – Barry Guy, Evan Parker, Paul Lytton
Double Bass – Barry Guy
Drums, Percussion – Paul Lytton
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Evan Parker

EVAN PARKER | TRANSATLANTIC ART ENSEMBLE - Boustrophedon (2008) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Boustrophedon (In Six Furrows) was recorded in Munich during September of 2004 -- immediately following the night Roscoe Mitchell recorded Composition/Improvisation Nos. 1, 2 & 3. What the two recordings have in common is that they were both created using a transatlantic group of musicians, some of whom played on both dates. This disc was conceived as its counterpart. The group here is an interesting one: it consists of Evan Parker and his longtime mates and partners in crime Paul Lytton, Barry Guy, Philipp Wachsmann, and John Rangecroft. It also features Mitchell and his brilliant Note Factory quartet with Craig Taborn, Tani Tabbal, and Jaribu Shahid, with other friends such as Anders Svanoe, Neil Metcalfe, Corey Wilkes, Nils Bultmann, and Marcio Mattos -- all told, a 14-piece orchestra. Parker, who composed this music and conducts, is featured here on soprano. Like Mitchell's offering, this is a music based on strategies, as the title would suggest. Boustrophedon is a Greek word meaning "turning like an ox while plowing" -- hence, the word "furrows" in the title. In fact, Parker quotes a beautiful passage from Samuel Beckett's The Expelled that offers its own explanation by trying to count stairs adequately first by climbing up and then again when walking down. The music here moves in much the same way, with vertical ascent and descent according to innate scalar challenges and horizontally in both directions as well. Textural elements, tonal colors by the different combinations of contrasting players on any given track, drama, dynamic, and (of course) the degree of improvisation held within this manner of working all present numerous challenges as well as opportunities. This music is not jazz -- free or otherwise -- nor is it merely classical formalism or improvisation deconstruction. Instead, Parker's compositions are scored with the idea of bringing together, through his very European outlook, the different ways region, distance, cultural difference, and discipline combine to make something else: a new work that maintains an identity that is transcultural and trans-aesthetic. This is one work divided into six sections for easy CD programming (on LP this would never happen). Parker is more restrained, much more patient to let his lines and chromatic changes occur as they begin to appear, enhancing them with spirited improvisation that nonetheless leaves its edges at the door. It is as compelling as Mitchell's album, although very different. It is an exercise in musical mystery, chance, and opaque textures that get inside the listener and stay there a bit before moving on toward the next plateau.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Boustrophedon (In Six Furrows)    
1    Overture    1:21
2    Furrow 1    8:09
3    Furrow 2    5:46
4    Furrow 3    11:07
5    Furrow 4    5:21
6    Furrow 5    8:20
7    Furrow 6    12:52
8    Finale    6:19
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Anders Svanoe
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Roscoe Mitchell
Cello – Marcio Mattos
Clarinet – John Rangecroft
Double Bass – Barry Guy, Jaribu Shahid
Drums, Percussion – Paul Lytton, Tani Tabbal
Ensemble – The Transatlantic Art Ensemble
Flute – Neil Metcalfe
Piano – Craig Taborn
Recorded By – Manfred Eicher, Stefano Amerio
Soprano Saxophone, Music By – Evan Parker
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Corey Wilkes
Viola – Nils Bultmann
Violin – Philipp Wachsmann

EVAN PARKER ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC ENSEMBLE - The Moment's Energy (2009) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

It has been fascinating to listen to the ways Evan Parker's Electro-Acoustic Ensemble has developed its approach over the past 13 years. Some of its members, such as Paul Lytton, Barry Guy, Lawrence Casserley, Walter Prati, and Philipp Wachsman, have been here continuously since 1996's Toward the Margins, and the original sextet has now grown to 14 members, including new ones Peter Evans, Ned Rothenberg, and Kô Ishikawa. The Moment's Energy, an extended work in seven sections, is their fifth recorded outing. What is so immediately striking about this piece of music is how formally constructed it is. That does not mean there isn't improvisation -- after all, this is an Evan Parker-led group -- but more important is the place of composition in the framework of the whole. The Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival commissioned Parker to write something for their event, and this piece, with its cascading sonics shaping the international array of acoustic sounds, includes Parker's soprano, Ishikawa's sho, Agusti Fernández's piano and prepared piano, Rothenberg's clarinets and shakuhachi, Guy's bass, and Lytton's live percussion. Much of the work is restrained, full of space and a muted color palette -- though at all times there is a lot going on. In certain movements, such as "II," and "V," full-blown free improvisation between the acoustic instruments almost overwhelms the electronic elements -- half the ensemble is involved in the creation or projection of these sounds and their processing -- in the longer middle section of the piece. Elsewhere, color and dynamic -- such as on the moody, and even harrowing "IV," and the forcefulness of the work's closing movement "VII" -- offer proof of just how rich, disciplined, and wide-ranging the soundworld of this ensemble is. In addition, Parker's compositional method has employed a different scale here: he seems to have composed not only a work for performance by this particular ensemble, but has written with the ideal scale of the group itself as a principle concern. Hence, this work is more modern composition than merely free or experimental jazz. This is a gorgeous work when taken as a whole, a musical journey through multi-dimensional landscapes and sonic shadows that seems to stretch time itself.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
The Moment's Energy   
1    I    9:29
2    II    9:45
3    III    9:34
4    IV    4:19
5    V    9:23
6    VI    8:11
7    VII    11:14
8    Incandescent Clouds    5:05
Credits :
Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Shakuhachi – Ned Rothenberg
Double Bass – Barry Guy
Effects [Computer Processing] – Walter Prati
Effects [Sample And Signal Processing] – Joel Ryan
Effects [Sound Projection] – Marco Vecchi
Electronics [Live Electronics] – Paul Obermayer, Richard Barrett
Instruments [Signal Processing Instrument] – Lawrence Casserley
Music By – Evan Parker
Percussion, Electronics [Live Electronics] – Paul Lytton
Piano, Piano [Prepared Piano] – Agustí Fernández
Sho [Shô] – Ko Ishikawa
Soprano Saxophone – Evan Parker
Trumpet, Piccolo Trumpet – Peter Evans
Violin, Electronics [Live Electronics] – Philipp Wachsmann

PARKER / GUY / LYTTON + PETER EVANS - Scenes in the House of Music (2010) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1.    Intro 1'13
2    Scene 1 12'11
3    Scene 2 13'12
4    Scene 3 12'21
5    Scene 4 13'48
6    Scene 5 13'33
Credits :
Composed By – Barry Guy, Evan Parker, Paul Lytton, Peter Evans
Double Bass – Barry Guy
Drums, Percussion – Paul Lytton
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Producer – Evan Parker
Trumpet – Peter Evans