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Evan Parker

Evan Parker was born in Bristol in 1944 and began to play the saxophone at the age of 14. Initially he played alto and was an admirer of Paul Desmond; by 1960 he had switched to tenor and soprano, following the example of John Coltrane, a major influence who, he would later say, determined "my choice of everything". In 1962 he went to Birmingham University to study botany but a trip to New York, where he heard the Cecil Taylor trio (with Jimmy Lyons and Sunny Murray), prompted a change of mind. What he heard was "music of a strength and intensity to mark me for life ... l came back with my academic ambitions in tatters and a desperate dream of a life playing that kind of music - 'free jazz' they called it then."

Parker stayed in Birmingham for a time, often playing with pianist Howard Riley. In 1966 he moved to London, became a frequent visitor to the Little Theatre Club, centre of the city's emerging free jazz scene, and was soon invited by drummer John Stevens to join the innovative Spontaneous Music Ensemble which was experimenting with new kinds of group improvisation. Parker's first issued recording was SME's 1968 Karyobin, with a line-up of Parker, Stevens, Derek Bailey, Dave Holland and Kenny Wheeler. Parker remained in SME through various fluctuating line-ups - at one point it comprised a duo of Stevens and himself - but the late 1960s also saw him involved in a number of other fruitful associations.

He began a long-standing partnership with guitarist Bailey, with whom he formed the Music Improvisation Company and, in 1970, co-founded Incus Records. (Tony Oxley, in whose sextet Parker was then playing, was a third co- founder; Parker left Incus in the mid-1980s.) Another important connection was with the bassist Peter Kowald who introduced Parker to the German free jazz scene. This led to him playing on Peter Brötzmann's 1968 Machine Gun, Manfred Schoof's 1969 European Echoes and, in 1970, joining pianist Alex von Schlippenbach and percussionist Paul Lovens in the former's trio, of which he is still a member: their recordings include Pakistani Pomade, Three Nails Left, Detto Fra Di Noi, Elf Bagatellen and Physics.

Parker pursued other European links, too, playing in the Pierre Favre Quartet (with Kowald and Swiss pianist Irene Schweizer) and in the Dutch Instant Composers Pool of Misha Mengelberg and Han Bennink. The different approaches to free jazz he encountered proved both a challenging and a rewarding experience. He later recalled that the German musicians favoured a "robust, energy-based thing, not to do with delicacy or detailed listening but to do with a kind of spirit-raising, a shamanistic intensity. And l had to find a way of surviving in the heat of that atmosphere ... But after a while those contexts became more interchangeable and more people were involved in the interactions, so all kinds of hybrid musics came out, all kinds of combinations of styles."

A vital catalyst for these interactions were the large ensembles in which Parker participated in the 1970s: Schlippenbach's Globe Unity Orchestra, Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath, Barry Guy's London Jazz Composers Orchestra (LJCO) and occasional big bands led by Kenny Wheeler. In the late 70s Parker also worked for a time in Wheeler's small group, recording Around Six and, in 1980, he formed his own trio with Guy and LJCO percussionist Paul Lytton (with whom he had already been working in a duo for nearly a decade). This group, together with the Schlippenbach trio, remains one of Parker's top musical priorities: their recordings include Tracks, Atlanta, Imaginary Values, Breaths and Heartbeats, The Redwood Sessions and At the Vortex. In 1980, Parker directed an Improvisers Symposium in Pisa and, in 1981, he organised a special project at London's Actual Festival. By the end of the 1980s he had played in most European countries and had made various tours to the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. ln 1990, following the death of Chris McGregor, he was instrumental in organising various tributes to the pianist and his fellow Blue Notes; these included two discs by the Dedication Orchestra, Spirits Rejoice and lxesa.

Though he has worked extensively in both large and small ensembles, Parker is perhaps best known for his solo soprano saxophone music, a singular body of work that in recent years has centred around his continuing exploration of techniques such as circular breathing, split tonguing, overblowing, multiphonics and cross-pattern fingering. These are technical devices, yet Parker's use of them is, he says, less analytical than intuitive; he has likened performing his solo work to entering a kind of trance-state. The resulting music is certainly hypnotic, an uninterrupted flow of snaky, densely-textured sound that Parker has described as "the illusion of polyphony". Many listeners have indeed found it hard to credit that one man can create such intricate, complex music in real time. Parker's first solo recordings, made in 1974, were reissued on the Saxophone Solos CD in 1995; more recent examples are Conic Sections and Process and Reality, on the latter of which he does, for the first time, experiment with multi-tracking. Heard alone on stage, few would disagree with writer Steve Lake that "There is, still, nothing else in music - jazz or otherwise - that remotely resembles an Evan Parker solo concert."

While free improvisation has been Parker's main area of activity over the last three decades, he has also found time for other musical pursuits: he has played in 'popular' contexts with Annette Peacock, Scott Walker and the Charlie Watts big band; he has performed notated pieces by Gavin Bryars, Michael Nyman and Frederic Rzewski; he has written knowledgeably about various ethnic musics in Resonance magazine. A relatively new field of interest for Parker is improvising with live electronics, a dialogue he first documented on the 1990 Hall of Mirrors CD with Walter Prati. Later experiments with electronics in the context of larger ensembles have included the Synergetics - Phonomanie III project at Ullrichsberg in 1993 and concerts by the new EP2 (Evan Parker Electronic Project) in Berlin, Nancy and at the 1995 Stockholm Electronic Music Festival where Parker's regular trio improvised with real- time electronics processed by Prati, Marco Vecchi and Phillip Wachsmann. "Each of the acoustic instrumentalists has an electronic 'shadow' who tracks him and feeds a modified version of his output back to the real-time flow of the music."

The late 80s and 90s brought Parker the chance to play with some of his early heroes. He worked with Cecil Taylor in small and large groups, played with Coltrane percussionist Rashied Ali, recorded with Paul Bley: he also played a solo set as support to Ornette Coleman when Skies of America received its UK premiere in 1988. The same period found Parker renewing his acquaintance with American colleagues such as Anthony Braxton, Steve Lacy and George Lewis, with all of whom he had played in the 1970s (often in the context of London's Company festivals). His 1993 duo concert with Braxton moved John Fordham in The Guardian to raptures over "saxophone improvisation of an intensity, virtuosity, drama and balance to tax the memory for comparison".

Parker's 50th birthday in 1994 brought celebratory concerts in several cities, including London, New York and Chicago. The London performance, featuring the Parker and Schlippenbach trios, was issued on a highly-acclaimed two-CD set, while participants at the American concerts included various old friends as well as more recent collaborators in Borah Bergman and Joe Lovano. The NYC radio station WKCR marked the occasion by playing five days of Parker recordings. 1994 also saw the publication of the Evan Parker Discography, compiled by ltalian writer Francesco Martinelli, plus chapters on Parker in books on contemporary musics by John Corbett and Graham Lock.

Parker's future plans involve exploring further possibilities in electronics and the development of his solo music. They also depend to a large degree on continuity of the trios, of the large ensembles, of his more occasional yet still long-standing associations with that pool of musicians to whose work he remains attracted. This attraction, he explained to Coda's Laurence Svirchev, is attributable to "the personal quality of an individual voice". The players to whom he is drawn "have a language which is coherent, that is, you know who the participants are. At the same time, their language is flexible enough that they can make sense of playing with each other ... l like people who can do that, who have an intensity of purpose."

Such intensity of purpose has guided Parker's own work for over 30 years. lt is the main reason he is now widely acknowledged as "one of the music's greatest living instrumentalists" (The Times), "one of the world's finest ensemble improvisers" (Chicago Reader) and "one of the modern era's most original voices" (The Wire).
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by Francesco Varriale
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Album Review

Sergio Armaroli, Evan Parker: Dialog

Read "Dialog" reviewed by Neri Pollastri

by Neri Pollastri
September 19, 2024

Album molto singolare, questo di Sergio Armaroli e Evan Parker: pensato inizialmente come improvvisazione dal vivo da registrare in studio durante la prevista tournée italiana 2022 del sassofonista britannico, trasformatosi poi in duetto a distanza dopo la cancellazione della sua trasferta, si è alla fine concretizzato come un call and response, visto che Parker non si trovava a proprio agio nel dialogo diretto a distanza. Così, Armaroli ha registrato sei brani improvvisati al vibrafono e li ha inviati all'amico inglese, ...

In Pictures

Evan Parker 80th Birthday Celebration

by John Sharpe
April 11, 2024

On 6 April, the day after his 80th birthday, North London's Cafe Oto hosted a virtually sold out two-day celebration in honor of groundbreaking saxophone icon Evan Parker, bringing together a host of colleagues from across his career. Contingents from North America and Europe swelled the ranks of local well-wishers and were rewarded by some marvelous music reflecting different aspects of his artistry. Starting off proceedings on the Saturday evening, the saxophonist revisited one of his most ...

Album Review

Evan Parker - Barry Guy: So It Goes

Read "So It Goes" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
February 17, 2024

Two masters who have invented a (the?) lexicon for their instruments meet on So It Goes. British saxophonist Evan Parker and his compatriot bassist Barry Guy should need no introduction to anyone interested in European free improvisation. Both active since the 1970s, they remain vital forces even with as they both move into their eighth decade. Their association was formalized in 1980 with the inception of the long running trio completed by drummer Paul Lytton. But they have also appeared ...

Album Review

Sergio Armaroli & Evan Parker: Dialog

by John Eyles
January 20, 2024

In 2022, Italian-born vibraphonist Sergio Armaroli and British-born saxophonist Evan Parker were scheduled to tour Italy together, and go into a recording studio together to record a set of freely improvised music in real time. However, the plan fell apart because Parker became unable to leave Britain (maybe for Covid-related reasons?) Although Parker cancelled the tour and the recording session, Armaroli was keen to consider alternatives. At the time, technology did not allow musicians in distant locations to record together ...

Liner Notes

Sergio Armaroli & Evan Parker: Dialog

by Chris May
December 29, 2023

Sergio Armaroli and Evan Parker's collaboration on Dialog was made possible by state-of-the-art 2022 digital technology, on which it was wholly reliant. But the structure of the music itself--call and response a.k.a. antiphony--predates the digital era by an unknown number of millennia. Located in different studios hundreds of miles apart, on different days, the two players used file-sharing to engage in what is, if not the oldest form of music making, then almost certainly the second oldest. One day in ...

Album Review

Trance Map+: Etching the Ether

Read "Etching the Ether" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
December 28, 2023

"Trance Map+" is a collaborative project involving some incredibly talented musicians exploring the realms of avant-garde jazz and experimental sounds. Etching the Ether features three extended pieces, treated with Matthew Wright's live electronics and sound design. It is a production that embarks on a sonic journey, pushing the boundaries of improvisation and musical exploration.The album delves into intricate soundscapes, where each track is an evolving entity. The musicians known for their prowess in improvisation, create an enticing tapestry ...

Music Industry

Jazz this week: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Evan Parker & Peter Evans, Ronnie Burrage's RoBu Big Band, and more

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
September 30, 2015

This week's schedule of jazz and creative music in St. Louis is jam-packed, with three notable big band performances, two shows benefiting an ailing elder statesman of the local jazz scene, an evening of free-form music from two intriguing improvisors, and much, much more. Let's go to the highlights... Wednesday, September 30 The eclectic acoustic ensemble The 442s perform for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro, and pianist Greg Mills plays free improv and contemporary compositions ...
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Video / DVD

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Evan Parker and Peter Evans

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
September 26, 2015

Today, let's spend a few minutes with saxophonist Evan Parker and trumpeter Peter Evans, who will give a duo performance to kick off New Music Circle's 2015-16 season next Friday, October 2 at Joe's Cafe. (Both men also will take part in a free workshop/Q&A at 11 a.m. the next day (Saturday, October 3) at Foam.) Parker is a 71-year-old Englishman who began his career in the 1960s, at first briefly emulating the cool stylings of Paul Desmond and Lee ...
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Event

Free Improv Pioneer Evan Parker To Give Master Class At NEC

Source: Braithwaite & Katz Communications
September 10, 2014

Thursday, September 18 at 3 p.m. As Part of Nearly 100 Free Events for 2014-2015 NEC Season A pioneer of free improvisation, Evan Parker is considered one of the most influential saxophonists in the post-Coltrane era. Since the late 1960s he has remained a dynamic and innovative voice who has expanded the range of his instrument and the expressive possibilities of improvised music. Parker comes to New England Conservatory at 3 p.m. on Thursday, September 18 to give a workshop ...
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Recording

New John Escreet Featuring Evan Parker On Sunnyside (5/13)!

Source: Sunnyside Records
April 17, 2014

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166

Event

Improvisation Day at Kingston University, London

Source: Diana Salazar
March 10, 2011

The Improvised Space: Techniques, Traditions and Technologies A Research Day on Improvised Music Kingston University, London Wednesday 6th April 2011 10:30am-6:00pm, Concert 6:30pm The Department of Music at Kingston University presents a research day on improvised music, with special guests Evan Parker and Bennett Hogg. The programme includes presentations, demonstrations and workshops by researchers and practitioners in a range of fields, from jazz to free improvisation, acoustic performance to laptop music and live electronics, ...
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317

Obituary

Steve Lacy and Evan Parker - Chirps (FMP, 1991, 2010)

Source: Music and More by Tim Niland
October 19, 2010

Records and compact discs (or downloads for that matter) by the German FMP label have been somewhat scarce (in the USA at least) so Destination Out's agreement with the label to set up a downloading storefront is a big break for fans of progressive jazz. This album features a live meeting between soprano saxophone masters Steve Lacy and Evan Parker, in an unaccompanied duet that is complex and abstract, but continually exciting and accessible. The title of the album references ...
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102

Recording

Evan Parker - Whitstable Solo (Psi)

Source: Master of a Small House
June 29, 2010

Nearly four decades deep into the Evan Parker solo performance precedence and despite what some critics might contend the saxophonist is still finding fresh things to say on both straight horn and curved. A confluence of new recording space (St. Peter's Church, Whitstable), trusted engineer (Adam Skeaping) and extra-disciplinary collaborators (artist Polly Read and film-maker Neil Henderson) help make this set recorded in the summer of 2008 special. Parker states a preference for the pristine acoustics of the space in ...
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109

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Evan Parker

Source: Michael Ricci
April 5, 2010

All About Jazz is celebrating Evan Parker's birthday today!

JAZZ MUSICIAN OF THE DAY Evan Parker

Born Bristol, 5 April 1944; Tenor and soprano saxophones. The sources for these notes have come from various places, but in particular from Martin Davidson\'s notes to recent Emanem releases and Evan Parker\'s notes to 50th birthday concert... more

Website | Photos | Articles

Follow Evan Parker

Put AAJ's Musician of the Day box ...
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236

Performance / Tour

Evan Parker with Susan Alcorn and Michael Formanek at The WindUp Space in Bailtimore on April 18th

Source: Michael Ricci
March 24, 2010

CREATIVE DIFFERENCES presents EVAN PARKER - solo saxophone plus SUSAN ALCORN - pedal steel guitar MICHAEL FORMANEK - double bass EVAN PARKER - saxophones SUNDAY APRIL 18 AT 6PM @ The WindUp Space 12 W.North Ave Baltimore MD thewindupspace.com 410 244 8855 THIS CONCERT WILL BEGIN AT 6PM. DOORS OPEN AT 5PM Admission is $10 on the door Evan Parker is widely regarding as ...
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156

Performance / Tour

High-Energy Improvising with an Ever-Shifting Cast

Source: Michael Ricci
October 18, 2009

The saxophonist Evan Parker projects an intensely concentrated energy through his music. Now 65, he has spent more than 40 years in the trenches of the British avant-garde, metabolizing the ideas of free jazz and perfecting his own strategies of sound, which skew atonal but often lyrical. Hes hailed as a virtuoso of extended techniques circular breathing, multiphonics, sculptured overtones and lionized for his solo excursions. Hes also a tireless collaborator, secure in his footing and perpetually primed for engagement. ...
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