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Rabble Without A Cause
Wednesday January 19th, 2011 with Bernard Stepien
Evan Parker's Time Lapse

Since that day sometime around 1978 or so a young then unknown soprano saxophonist performed at the Saw Gallery on Rideau street, a number of people of this region keep buying CDs from Evan Parker. Three decades later, the concept has not aged at single bit. Evan Parker has a unique technique and concept that few tried to imitate. On the other hand, one could ask how such a concept could survive so long. Jazz has always constantly evolved throughout its history either because the demanding listeners eventually got bored hearing the same thing over and over again or musicians would stretch their creativity to outsmart the competition. Instead, Evan Parker stuck to his multiphonics concept and even to the solo performance concept. Mind you, he sounds like if there were three musicians performing. His performance schedule mainly in festivals all over the world would make any straight-ahead Jazz musician green of envy. Many have attempted to define what he actually does. Minimalistic music is often heard and may not be appropriate since his music at times sounds like a Bach fugue. Someone told me once that Evan told him that he plays in deed Bach fugues every day as an exercise. Minismalistic music is based on constant repetition with little changes. A Bach fugue is a constant flow of intertwining phrases. Quite a difference. However, his style and concepts are in fact also constantly evolving. First of all, even when taking one CD, the various tracks available sound different from each other. In fact, some even say that his music is mostly unpredictable which of course is different than random. In order to puzzle us even more, on his latest recordings of Time Lapse, Evan Parker adds the concept of over-dubbing thus reinforcing his multilayer concept a step further. To me this concept is equivalent to taking his former solo concepts through a magnifying glass that I am sure will help many to understand what his previous concepts were all about. Sometimes, this new music sounds like traditional African music.
Monkey's fist
Evan Parker - time lapse - tzadik
ak-kok-deer
Evan Parker - time lapse - tzadik
those doggone dogon
Evan Parker - time lapse - tzadik
the burden of time
Evan Parker - time lapse - tzadik
chorus after alaric 1 or 2 for gavin bryars
Evan Parker - time lapse - tzadik
threnody for steve lacy
Evan Parker - time lapse - tzadik
organ point
Evan Parker - time lapse - tzadik
time lapse
Evan Parker - time lapse - tzadik