WILLIAM PARKER QUARTET
O'Neal's Porch
Centering
CD1003


O'Neal's Porch represents the first recorded meeting of the quartet of trumpeter Lewis Barnes, saxist Rob Brown, drummer Hamid Drake, and bassist and bandleader William Parker. Furthermore, while Barnes and Brown have previously played together as part of Parker's Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra and Drake and Parker have played together in a variety of contexts including in groups lead by Peter Brotzmann, this recording appears to be the first disc featuring any combination of Barnes, Brown, and Drake.

This mix of familiarity and its opposite is one of the two main themes of this recording which comes from a studio date on May 26 of last year. Most of O'Neal's Porch, to be sure, moves along smoothly even if the music is a rough and edgy foray into hard bop -the first form of funk. In conventional fashion the tunes here are based on a theme and then explorations of that theme but those themes are as likely to be a rhythmic concept as they are to be anything having to do with harmony or melody. A few of the eight compositions -all written by Parker- sound like they are standards in the hands of this quartet and perhaps with time perhaps they will achieve that status. Still there are plenty of moments where the interactions between the front line of Barnes and Brown is held together by glue that is something less than super. An alert and perceptive musician if ever there was one, Drake has trouble developing one of his usual broad and busy grooves on more than occasion when Barnes and/or Brown are out front. Instead on tracks like "Purple" and "Rise" he plays a straightforward pattern and waits till he plays alone or alone with Parker's accompaniment to break out. For most drummers this would be par for the course but it's disappointing when it comes from Drake.

Parker is the centerpiece of this music which is fitting because Parker is also the owner and operator of the Centering label. Whatever problems and positives of the other musicians, he is there to preventing the cuts from falling apart. Parker's playing is quite strong and he continues to show progress in developing a bass style where the pursuit of neither lyricism nor rhythm requires the sacrificing of the other. Hopefully a new solo bass outing will be available from Parker as that sounds like it might be just the opportunity that Parker needs to take his playing to yet another level.

The second major theme of O'Neal's Porch is that of "outside" musicians trying to create music that blurs any and all distinctions between the sounds that they are used to creating and more mainstream or straight ahead jazz. This trend began last year with Matthew Shipp's Pastoral Composure and has continued with recordings like Roy Campbell's Ethnic Stew and Brew -a disc that also featured Drake and Parker- and Parker's own Painter's Spring which he did with Daniel Carter and Drake. This disc, like its predecessors, is successful at achieving an interesting synthesis but the degree to which this should constitute a "success" is debatable. There seems to be diminishing returns in this line of experimentation. When it first came out, Pastoral Composure sounded like it was one of the great discs of the modern era but now, roughly 14 months after its release, it sounds like a solid and enjoyable recording that aimed for greatness but came up short. Later recordings in this sub-genre haven't ever sounded like they would become landmarks and it has become increasingly clearer that players like Drake, Parker, and Shipp are more expressive and creative when they are working with freer forms.

Poet David Budbill explains in the linear notes that the namesake for this disc was an uncle of Parker's who lived in South Carolina. The image that pops in the mind is that of a hot and humid summer night where a cool beverage and the ability to look at the world go by. Whatever the faults of this recording, O'Neal's Porch is a great soundtrack for those nights.


Micah Holmquist


Track Listing: 1. Purple; 2. Sun; 3. O'Neal's Porch; 4. Rise; 5. Song for Jesus; 6. Leaf; 7. Song for Jesus 3/4; 8. Moon.


Personal: William Parker, bass; Rob Brown, alto sax; Hamid Drake, drums; Lewis Barnes, trumpet.