WILLIAM PARKER TRIO
Painter¹s Spring
Thirsty Ear
Blue Series 57088.2

Painter¹s Spring begins with a rhythmic pulse from Hamid Drake and leader William Parker. After just less than a minute, Daniel Carter joins in with his saxophone and then the unexpected happens. Carter becomes the dominant force for the bulk of this trio date.

The probably doesn¹t sound all that impressive if you simply look at the instrumentation. After all, the horn player is often the centerpiece of bass, drums, and saxophone trios. But Drake and Parker do not make up just any rhythm section. Both are amongst the finest players in the world with their instrument and the two have a tendency to take control of the music when they play together. I saw the two play in concert this past April 21 ­which was actually less than three weeks after this disc was recorded on April 2- along with saxophonist Peter Brotzmann and trumpeter Roy Campbell as part of the Die Like a Dog Quartet. Brotzmann and Campbell are certainly experienced and wonderful musicians and they showed in this concert but they really couldn¹t hold a candle to the synergy and energy of Drake and Parker. The best that this front line could do was follow the rhythm section¹s lead. Inversely, Drake and Parker certainly put in fine performances on Painter¹s Spring but you have to listen with them in mind to hear the details and subtleties. In contrast Carter stands out for all to ponder without intent study. Whether he is on the alto or tenor sax or the flute or the clarinet, Carter breathes life into this music and gives it direction. The only exceptions to this are when Carter steps back and Drake and Parker get to play without him. Parker¹s solo reading of the traditional tune "There is a Balm in Gilead" is not only the most obvious example of this but also the most striking. As he has proven on previous recordings too numerous to count and in even more live performances, Parker can produce just about any sound that he wants to with a bass. He opts for a meditative and remorseful sound on the said cut.

That is just one of the many moods that are found on these recordings. The band varies between slow blues sounds such as those on the Parker original "Blues for Percy" and the wilder sounds that these players are known for on cuts like "Flash," another new composition by Parker. Still the group never gets as free as say Other Dimensions in Music, which Carter and Parker are both part of, or the previously mentioned Die Like a Dog Quartet. In this sense, this disc is following in the footsteps of pianist Matthew Shipp¹s Pastoral Composure, which came out this past April. Shipp produced both discs and Parker played on both. More importantly, both recordings were relatively accessible works that wouldn¹t be out of place on the play lists on most noncommercial jazz radio programs. Painter¹s Spring is not an essential document ­nor even the best to come out from any of these musicians within the past year- but it is an excellent recording.

Micah Holmquist

Track Listing: 1. Foundation #1; 2. Come Sunday; 3. Blues for Percy; 4. Flash; 5. There is a Balm in Gilead; 6. Foundation #4; 7. Foundation #2; 8. Trilog

Personal: William Parker, bass; Daniel Carter, alto and tenor sax, flute, clarinet; Hamid Drake, drums