Jerome Cooper
A Magical Approach
Mutable Music
www.mutablemusic.com

J.D. Parran
Window Spirits (Solo)
Mutable Music
www.mutablemusic.com
By George W. Harris

Sometimes, you just wonder why someone would put out a disc, let alone purchase one. What would motivate someone to shell out their hard earned money for certain sounds arranged a certain way? These two recent releases from Mutable Music make me want to interview the prospective buyers.

Both Cooper and Parran are recorded performing unaccompanied in a concert format on their respective releases. Cooper plays drums, Balaphone (sort of like a marimba), Chiramia and a Yahama PSR 1500 keyboard on six selections that cover 2 concerts from 1978 2007. The songs consist of repetitive percussion themes that make you wonder, “when is this guy going to get to the point,” which never arrives. The keyboard noodlings sound like some Jr High student discovering oscillation for the first time in his life. What was the audience thinking? Did anyone take a date to this gig? Did they break up right afterwards?

J.D. Parran plays the bass sax, clarinet, alto flute, double wooden flute, and a thing called the “mbira” on nine solo pieces that are exercises in self indulgence and atonal explorations. His tone on all woodwinds are acceptable, but this guy needs a gps system as he seems to go nowhere on each “composition,” if that’s what you want to call them. Why would I buy this disc when there is so much Stan Getz, Ben Webster, Jimmy Hamilton or even Charlie Ventura (who could REALLY play the bass sax) I haven’t listened to yet?