Guest Chaney Posted September 11, 2003 Report Share Posted September 11, 2003 Been out awhile, but my review? It's wonderful and should be bought (and enjoyed!) by everyone. The AMG review: On the heels of two very intriguing CDs (Painter's Spring and Mayor of Punkville), luminary bassist William Parker let loose another for 2000 on his own Centering Music label. O'Neal's Porch, a tribute of sorts to Parker's late uncle, features a quartet with Rob Brown on alto sax, Lewis Barnes blowing trumpet, and Hamid Drake, Parker's compatriot since 1998, banging drums. While Brown and Barnes are familiar playing with the bassist (both have performed in his large ensembles), Parker and Drake comprise the best rhythm section in jazz; together, they should go down in the history books as one of the most fruitful and interesting musical relationships this side of Ellington and Strayhorn, Diz and Bird, and Miles and Trane. The result is a strangely digestible and swinging affair of Eric Dolphy-influenced bop. That's not to say that O'Neal's Porch is a straight-ahead recording, as Brown burns on "Sun" and "Leaf" while Barnes plays colorful textures and his own blistering solos throughout. Meanwhile, Drake probes his inventive open-framed progressions and joins together with Parker for simultaneous swinging and exploring. All eight songs are crisply recorded Parker originals that spotlight his interest in sound as a physical and emotional event, while proving that one does not have to play the freest of free jazz to be inventive. Most importantly, this collection also demonstrates that jazz can be propelled within its traditions as a stepping stone and not necessarily as a model to copy. O'Neal's Porch and Parker's brand of inside/outside compositions mark territory that proves the so-called avant is not that philosophically far away from the modern mainstream revivalists. — Jack LV Isles That's all. And so begins another work day. Must... stop... listening... and... work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted September 11, 2003 Report Share Posted September 11, 2003 O'Neal's Porch is essential listening. To clarify the AMG review, this was initially released on Centering and quickly went OOP. It has since been reissued on Aum Fidelity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John L Posted September 11, 2003 Report Share Posted September 11, 2003 Good record! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Storer Posted September 11, 2003 Report Share Posted September 11, 2003 Yes, it's a good record. But I don't think it's as great as the hype it gets. Good, clean, energetic playing; they were on a roll that day. The energy was there and they were all sounding great and playing shapely, spirited music. But the compositions are no more than a pretty good basis for everybody to blow with gusto. IMHO, this is a hot blowing session in the spirit of the better 50's Blue Notes but no more. Mind you, that's quite enough as far as I'm concerned - goodness knows that's a high standard. The AMG review says: "Parker and Drake comprise the best rhythm section in jazz; together, they should go down in the history books as one of the most fruitful and interesting musical relationships this side of Ellington and Strayhorn, Diz and Bird, and Miles and Trane." Now that is happy hyperbole. There are any number of rhythm sections that could contest the title of "best," and to compare Parker and Drake to the other pairs mentioned is over the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sal Posted September 11, 2003 Report Share Posted September 11, 2003 Great album!!! I must respectfully disagree with you, Tom. I think the Parker/Drake rhythm section is the top drums/bass team around today. And right now, it may be difficult to see thier contribution to jazz simply because they continue to quietly contribute such a large output of work together. But there is not a doubt in my mind that future generations will look back years from now and marvel at their accomplishments in the same vein as many of the masters. Just as a sample, take two of the albums from this year that they have appeared on together: William Parker's "Scrapbook" and Peter Brotzman's "Never Too Late But Always Too Early". Completely different types of music....both masterpieces that should be on anyone's top 10 of the year lists. These guys energize everybody that they play with...they coax incredible performances out of everyone they back up. Not to mention they sound incredible as a duo. When it comes to creativity, energy, innovation, and pure sonic mastery, its hard to find a drum/bass team in jazz today who can touch these guys. To compare them with Miles and Trane? That might be going a bit too far today. But once their legacy is complete and time has judged who will be remembered, don't be surprised if the names of these two pop up in the same vein as any pair of greats in this music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relyles Posted September 11, 2003 Report Share Posted September 11, 2003 Tom, I recall you expressing slight reservations about this recording in the past. This is the recording that essentially introduced me to William Parker as a leader and I have been an addict ever since. While I will agree that many of the compositions are not much more than springboards for the solos, the infectious nature of most of the tunes resulting from Parker's propulsive bass and Drake's drumming make this a memorable recording for me. I don't know if you heard Raining on the Moon by the same group with Leena Conquest on vocals, but the overall feel is very similar. In fact, although I grew to enjoy Conquest's vocals, I think that if Raining on the Moon did not have the vocals it might have been an even better recording than O'Neals Porch. In any event I think both recordings are great and essential for anyone that is a fan of William Parker's music. I don't think I have heard enough bass-drum tandems to opine where Parker and Drake stand, but based on all the great music I have heard by these two on many recordings I have gobbled up in the past year I have to believe they are somewhere near the top. Ronald Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEK Posted September 12, 2003 Report Share Posted September 12, 2003 "O'Neal's Porch" was one of my favorite music purchases of last year, and "Scrapbook" is a favorite recent purchase. As for Parker and Drake's place in music history, I dunno that I'd hype them as much as some folks. They certainly are great musicians and play very well together, and they seem to earn a relatively large amount of exposure making notable music during these lean days, but Ellington and Strayhorn, Diz and Bird, Miles and Trane, ... , or Mingus and Richmond, or even Favors and Moye, or ... - back in those days, there were many more musicians on the scene trying to say something. The scene was much broader, deeper, and more competitive than now... Time will tell - I suppose ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted September 12, 2003 Report Share Posted September 12, 2003 As for Parker and Drake's place in music history, I dunno that I'd hype them as much as some folks. They certainly are great musicians and play very well together, and they seem to earn a relatively large amount of exposure making notable music during these lean days, but Ellington and Strayhorn, Diz and Bird, Miles and Trane, ... , or Mingus and Richmond, or even Favors and Moye, or ... - back in those days, there were many more musicians on the scene trying to say something. The scene was much broader, deeper, and more competitive than now... Time will tell - I suppose ... I'll have to disagree with everything you said here, with the exception of "time will tell." I think it is an easy assumption to make that there are less musicians trying to "say" something than in the 40's 50's or 60's. IMO they are still out there, making fantastic, powerful, emotional music that has, again, IMO, quite a lot to say. The one difference might be in the level of publicity they get and the lack of mass commercial support for this music. It is also easy to look back on those salad days and forget that, sometimes, it takes historical perspective to appreciate what those musicians were saying and doing at the time. Remember, a lot of people *hated* what Trane was doing with Miles, for example. As you said, time will tell. In a few decades people will probably look back on these days and agree that giants still walked the earth. In the meantime we should all just enjoy the music. I think I will spin Brotz' Never Too Late But Always Too Early tonight. Try that for some fantastic Drake / Parker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John L Posted September 12, 2003 Report Share Posted September 12, 2003 I like Parker and Drake very much together. They have found a means of bringing together swing, funk, and Afro-Cuban rhythms in a manner that sounds both completely contemporary and compelling. As for their place in jazz history, time will tell. But I am going to keep grabbing their releases and attending their concerts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.W. Posted September 12, 2003 Report Share Posted September 12, 2003 Haven't played this for a while (there's still an enormous pile of unplayed discs on the floor of my living room...), but I was very impressed when I first heard it. A great disc and, IMO, a much, much better album than Raining on the Moon, which I didn't like at all - sold that one right away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man with the Golden Arm Posted September 12, 2003 Report Share Posted September 12, 2003 Yeah, 'Raining on the Moon' is a wacky fit. It sort of reminds me of the fist time I heard Cassandra Wilson with Threadgill's New AIR band. Now hearing Wilson's voice fresh, previous to all the new white blues of her modern days, was something to get enthused about. Maybe Leena Conquest will disband from the hip hop and come up with a great record of her own. She seems to have that beautiful Betty Carter / Carmen Lundy frog going for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphie_boy Posted September 12, 2003 Report Share Posted September 12, 2003 I love O'Neil's Porch! As someone mentioned above, the Parker/Drake rhythm unit is one of the best in the business and it's readily apparent when you listen to this session. Rob Brown's alto work is also fine and fits like a glove with these compositions. Highly recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted September 12, 2003 Report Share Posted September 12, 2003 I think the Parker/Drake rhythm section is the top drums/bass team around today. I'm with Sal. These guys knock me out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted September 12, 2003 Report Share Posted September 12, 2003 I think the Parker/Drake rhythm section is the top drums/bass team around today. I'm with Sal. These guys knock me out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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