08.04.2024 | Artist
Evan Parker (born in Bristol in 1944) was among the very first musicians to record for ECM, as a member of the Music Improvisation Company, whose debut album was released in November 1970. Parker’s radical originality as saxophonist was already evident in techniques he had developed to mirror the sustained sounds of Derek Bailey’s electric guitar and the live electronics of Hugh Davies. MIC’s soundscapes anticipated directions Parker would follow up much later with his Electro-Acoustic Ensemble, documented on five ECM recordings, beginning with Toward The Margins in 1996. In parallel with the far-flung sonic explorations, Evan has contributed persuasively to the development of jazz in multiple contexts. Trio recordings with Paul Bley and Barre Phillips effectively updated the modus operandi of the Jimmy Giuffre Trio; with Roscoe Mitchell, Parker co-led a Transatlantic Art Ensemble. Associations with Kenny Wheeler’s groups and with Alex Schlippenbach’s Globe Unity Orchestra spanned half a century…The common denominator in all these activities, a fierce sense of focus and a willingness to go wherever the music leads…
Discover ECM’s Evan Parker playlist here
Birthday tributes were collected at London Jazz News’s Website
