Evan Parker, soprano and tenor saxophones
Ned Rothenberg, alto saxophone and bass clarinet
“Rothenberg stays with Parker every step of the way as they weave tapestries of breathtaking range, vigor, and technical skill. This kind of fascinating interplay…repeatedly rewards the attentive listener.” –Robert Spencer, All About Jazz
Among Europe’s most innovative and intriguing saxophonists, Evan Parker’s solos and playing style are distinguished by his creative use of circular breathing and false fingering. Parker can generate furious bursts, screeches, bleats, honks, and spiraling lines and phrases and his solo sax work isn’t for the squeamish. Upon resettling in London in 1965, Parker began playing with Spontaneous Music Ensemble. He joined them in 1967 and remained until 1969. Parker met guitarist Derek Bailey while in the group, and the duo formed the Music Improvisation Company in 1968. Parker played with them until 1971, and also began working with the Tony Oxley Sextet in the late 60s. Parker started playing extensively with other European free music groups in the 70s, notably the Globe Unity Orchestra, as well as its founder Alexander von Schlippenbach’s trio and quartet. Parker, Bailey, and Oxley co-formed Incus Records in 1970 and continued operating it through the 80s. Parker also played with Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood of Breath, other groups with Bailey, and did duet sessions with John Stevens and Paul Lytton, as well as giving several solo concerts. Among his many releases are Process and Reality (1991), Breaths and Heartbeats (1995), Obliquities (1995), Bush Fire (1997), Here Now (1998), Drawn Inward (1999), Monkey Puzzle (2000), Two Seasons (2000), Alder Brook (2003) and After Appleby (2004). Eleventh Hour, officially credited to the Evan Parker Electo-Acoustic Ensemble, appeared from ECM in 2005.
Composer/Performer Ned Rothenberg has been internationally acclaimed for both his solo and ensemble music, presented for the past 25 years in North and South America, Europe and Asia. He leads the trio Sync, with Jerome Harris, guitars and Samir Chatterjee, tabla. Recent recordings include Intervals, a double CD of solo work, and Are You Be by R.U.B. (Rothenberg, Kazuhisa Uchihashi and Samm Bennett) on Rothenberg’s Animul label. Chamber music releases include Ghost Stories on Tzadik and Power Lines on New World, along with Port of Entry, Sync’s release on Intuition. Other collaborators have included Sainkho Namchylak, Paul Dresher, John Zorn, Marc Ribot, Yuji Takahashi and Evan Parker. Rothenberg generates a remarkable variety of new timbres through unique playing techniques including circular breathing allowing for extremely long melodic patterns, multiphonic chords, precise overtone control, elaborate rhythmic tonguing attacks, control of overlapping beat frequencies, combinations of the previous, and much more. His music evokes an emotional spectrum from humor to pathos, a feeling of rhapsodic melancholy to simple awe at encountering a sound never before experienced.
