PARKER, WILLIAM - Voices Fall From The Sky

Currently deep into his 5th exceptionally active decade as an essential jazz artist, William Parker needs no introduction. However, one of the intrinsic aspects of his oeuvre that bears repeated mention is the vast range thereof. From era-defining statements of free music to soul-jazz organ quartet; from his seamless incorporation of indigenous folk forms to his exhilarating work for jazz orchestra; from the joyous accessibility of his Quartet to his nuanced scoring for dance and film. And this new work! A treasure box abounding with gems, Voices Fall From The Sky is an expansive 3CD Box Set comprising three distinct and complementary albums whose focus is on the voice: the singers, 17 of whom are featured herein -&- the songs, all composed (and produced) by William Parker. Half of the material are brand new recordings and half are Parker-curated selections of previously released material either long unavailable or presented in new form. Accompaniment on these 34 pieces ranges as widely as the voices, from duet to large ensemble. A multitude of approaches are employed: art song to operatic, pop sensibilities to gospel, heart-stopping ballads to dance numbers, silence to exuberance. The lyrical content expresses love of nature and its vital importance to a whole life, compassion, anti-oppression, anti-violence of any kind, praise of the creative spirit, and, Love. These themes are foundational in all of Parkers work; the forefront spotlight through a multitude of expressive voices makes them that much more salient. Album/CD1 features all-new work predominately recorded & mixed during December 2017 and January 2018. Featured singers: Timna Comedi - Morley Shanti Kamen - Amirtha Kidambi - Kyoko Kitamura - Bernardo Palombo - Omar Payano - Jean Carla Rodea - Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez - Fay Victor - Andrea Wolper. Accompanists: Karen Borca - Angelo Branford - Rob Brown - Gerald Cleaver - Jean Cook - Jason Kao Hwang - Masahiko Kono - William Parker - Dave Sewelson - Heru Shabaka-Ra - Steve Swell - Dario Acosta Teich - Eri Yamamoto. Album/CD2 is comprised of duets and focuses on three singers with whom Parker has had decades-long creative relationships with. Vintage recordings with Ellen Christi and Lisa Sokolov from the early 1990s which have been unavailable for far too long are here re-contextualized together with more recent work with Leena Conquest. Accompanists: Yuko Fujiyama - Cooper-Moore - William Parker - Eri Yamamoto. Album/CD3 presents the voice within large ensemble and features new iterations of previously released work together with a brand-new suite/recording entitled The Blinking of the Ear, performed by mezzo-soprano opera singer AnnMarie Sandy. The previously released work features the singers Ernie Odoom, Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay and Leena Conquest. Accompaniment is by four very different versions of the William Parker Orchestra, and his Double Quartet. The one exception is the brand-new suite, which features Eri Yamamoto: piano and Leonid Galaganov: drums, although how they and AnnMarie Sandy fill the silence is practically orchestral. - Aum Fidelity.