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Chris Parker

Born in Chicago, Chris was playing drums at age three and began performing his first professional gigs at eleven. At nineteen, Parker began recording and touring with blues great Paul Butterfield and broke into the New York studio scene in 1970, doing records, movie scores and filling the drum chair at Saturday Night Live.

Toph, as friends know him, recorded platinum, gold and Grammy winning albums and CDs with many artists, including the original Brecker Brothers, Bob Dylan, Cher, Donald Fagen, Ashford and Simpson, Natalie Cole, Aretha Franklin, Freddie Hubbard, James Brown, Joe Cocker, Salt 'n' Pepa, Stuff, Miles Davis, Patti LaBelle and Michael Bolton. He has toured with many artists; among them Boz Scaggs, Joe Cocker, Bob Dylan, Bette Midler, Paul Simon and Ralph Mac Donald.

Michael Brecker recently spoke of Parker, in Modern Drummer Magazine, “...Like Harvey Mason, Chris (is) also a natural drummer with great musicianship and a strong feel for funk.” Also in a recent Modern Drummer issue, Tom Scott said, " Chris Parker is one of the sweetest human beings on the planet."

Movie Soundtracks:

Beat Street-MGM
Michael Collins-Warner
Bright Lights, Big City-MGM
Nadine-Columbia
China Girl-Artisan
Prelude to a Kiss-Fox
City of Industry-MGM
Prime Suspect-King
Doc Hollywood-MGM
Punchline-Columbia
Ed-Universal
Quick Change-Warner
The Emperor's New Groove-Disney
Searching for Bobby Fisher-Paramount
The Experts-Paramount
Something So Right-King
Fame-Turner
Steelyard Blues-Warner
Flirting with Disaster-Miramax
Striptease-Castle Rock
Garbo Talks-MGM
Tootsie-Columbia
Grace of My Heart-Universal
The Untouchables-Paramount
Hercules-Disney
The Warriors-Paramount
In Love and War-King
The Wiz-Universal
Kidco-Fox
Two Weeks Notice-Castle Rock

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Radio & Podcasts

Chris Parker, Craig Davis, Miro Sobrer, Jim McNeely and more

Read "Chris Parker, Craig Davis, Miro Sobrer, Jim McNeely and more" reviewed by Bob Osborne


On this show brand new releases from The Chris Parker Trio, Craig Davis, Miro Sobrer, Francisco Mela & Zoh Amba, Jim McNeely and The Frankfurt Radio Orchestra featuring Chris Potter, the trio of Ben Monder, Tony Malaby and Tom Rainey, and a preview track from a new album from Dave Douglas.Playlist Show Intro 00:00 The Chris Parker Trio “Coolypso" from Tell Me (M'Bubba Music) 00:48 Craig Davis “Escape" from Tone Paintings : The Music of Dodo Marmarosa (MCG ...

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Album Review

Charlie Ballantine: Reflections/Introspection: The Music Of Thelonious Monk

Read "Reflections/Introspection: The Music Of Thelonious Monk" reviewed by Chris M. Slawecki


Reflections/Introspection... follows-up guitarist Charlie Ballentine's Life is Brief: The Music of Bob Dylan, the guitarist's tribute to another (and very different type of) iconoclastic modern composer and one of the best albums of 2018. He absolutely bounces through this double-LP (one trio, one quartet) on a merry joyride through the compositions of “the onliest Monk." “Monk has such an incredible catalogue that one of the big challenges we faced was what songs to choose and also what instrumentation ...

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Album Review

Charlie Ballantine: Reflections/Introspection: The Music Of Thelonious Monk

Read "Reflections/Introspection: The Music Of Thelonious Monk" reviewed by Mark Sullivan


Indianapolis-based guitarist and composer Charlie Ballantine has made thematically organized albums before. Life is Brief: The Music of Bob Dylan (Green Mind Records, 2018) featured creative versions of songs by the iconic songwriter, and Vonnegut (Green Mind Records, 2020), was made up of original Ballantine compositions inspired by the work of novelist Kurt Vonnegut. Here the inspiration is purely musical, and it is one of the pillars of modern jazz: the brilliant composer & pianist Thelonious Monk. Many of the ...

76
Album Review

Peter DiCarlo: Onward

Read "Onward" reviewed by Friedrich Kunzmann


On his debut record, New York-based alto saxophonist Peter DiCarlo establishes himself as a serious straight-ahead composer who skillfully combines an elegant alto tone with intricate reed and horn arrangements that are propelled forward by a swinging rhythm section. Dominated by a majority of self-penned hard and post-bop scores, Onward—in accordance with its title—pushes last century's idioms into this one, exploring new and exciting territory that neither defies tradition, nor resists its modern environment. Swing is affirmed in ...

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Album Review

Peter DiCarlo: Onward

Read "Onward" reviewed by Jack Bowers


New York City-based alto saxophonist Peter DiCarlo makes a lot of winning moves on his debut album, Onward, and a couple that seem more puzzling than perceptive. More about them later. First, it should be noted that DiCarlo is a virtuosic player with a burnished sound and enough improvisational ammunition in his arsenal to guide him safely through any encounter, no matter how unforeseen or perilous. He is also a splendid writer whose five original compositions here serve to enhance ...

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216

Recording

New CD from Toph-E & the Pussycats, "No Ordinary Day" Feat. Cliff Carter, Will Lee, Ralph Macdonald, David Mann, Chris Parker

New CD from Toph-E & the Pussycats, "No Ordinary Day" Feat. Cliff Carter, Will Lee, Ralph Macdonald, David Mann, Chris Parker

Source: Michael Bloom Media Relations

No Ordinary Day Toph-E & the Pussycats M'Bubba Music 10052 October 26 Release Featuring: Clifford Carter-piano / keyboards Will Lee-bass & vocals Ralph MacDonald-percussion David Mann-tenor / soprano saxophones Chris Parker-drums Now in their 10th year, Toph-E and the Pussycats is a group of well-respected and professional musicians (Clifford Carter, Will Lee, Ralph MacDonald, David Mann, and Chris Parker) who share a great love for rhythm ...

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Onward

Shifting Paradigm Records
2021

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...

Green Mind Records
2021

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Full Circle

OA2 Records
2014

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Do It Again - The...

Verve Records
2007

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